Global inequalities in power allow the profit maximisation model of businesses to shape a global economy that prioritises profit over people. The dominance of this model facilitates various forms of exploitation including poverty wages, discrimination and violence, crackdowns on trade unions and collective organising, rising precarity of work, and lack of social protections. This labour exploitation and the relationship with lead brands and retailers is often obscured by the complex and opaque network of global supply chains.

This Big Issue area collects the latest news on labour rights issues in global supply chains, as well as our work to support and advance the labour rights demands of workers and the organisations representing them.

In December 2021 we published a Tea Transparency Tracker, the first tool of its kind for the industry, building upon lessons and tools on supply chain transparency in the fashion industry. It directly links companies to the tea plantations they source from, allowing workers and consumers alike to know where the tea goes. However, many companies are still choosing to hide supply chain lists, effectively allowing dangerous and exploitative working conditions to remain concealed.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated existing inequalities for workers in supply chains, with migrant workers especially vulnerable. Our work on the COVID-19 apparel action tracker, brief on union busting and report on wage theft in apparel supply chains has analysed the impact of company actions on workers during the pandemic and reveals a stark gap between human rights policy and practice.

Our 275 apparel company dashboards provide labour rights advocates and unions easy-to-access information about company performance and actions in protecting and respecting the rights of garment workers in their supply chains.  

Our other work includes strengthening corporate transparency and accountability for migrant rights in the construction and hospitality sectors in Qatar and the UAE; engaging brands and others on Syrian refugees in Turkish garment factories; and leading the development of the KnowTheChain benchmarks, alongside the project partners with Humanity United, Verité, and Sustainalytics.