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Introduction
Fair Wear Foundation is a European multi-stakeholder initiative working to
improve workplace conditions in the garment and textile industry. [1] It is
an independent, non-profit organisation that works with companies and
factories to improve labour conditions for garment workers.
Fair Wear Foundations 80 member companies represent over 120 brands,
and are based in seven European countries; member products are sold in
over 20,000 retail outlets in more than 80 countries around the world. Fair
Wear Foundation is active in 15 production countries in Asia, Europe and
Africa. [2]

History
Fair Wear Foundation was founded in 1999. When garment production in
The Netherlands had by then been displaced to low-wage countries, after
some years of campaigning against poor labour conditions in low-wage
countries, the union FNV and the CCC contacted the employers
organisations and proposed a joint initiative to improve labour condition in
the garment sector.
The founders designed the Code of Labour Practices for the Garment
Industry. They based the code on the international standards included in
International Labour Organization conventions, with guidance from the
model codes of the International Clean Clothes Campaign and the ICFTU
(the international umbrella organisation of trade unions, of which the FNV
is a member).
In the period 19992002, the Foundation carried out pilot projects on the
implementation of the code of labour practices with four Dutch
companies. These experiences led to the determination of a standard
procedure.
Building up membership among companies was the next step. The first
group of 11 members was announced to the public in March 2003. This
group comprised partly fashion producers and partly producers of
industrial work wear. [3]

Organisation
It organisational structure consists of a tripartite (multi-stakeholder)
board, in which business associations, trade unions and (labour) NGOs are
equally represented. Based in Amsterdam, Fair Wear Foundation works
internationally with companies all over Europe and in production countries
worldwide. [4]

Figure 1: Source- http://www.fairwear.org/512/about/organisation/

Why is Fair Wear Foundation needed?

Millions of garment workers around the world face poverty and human
rights violations every day. Supply chains are very complicated, and there
are still many places where things can go wrong. Most clothing brands
dont own their factories, but they do have a lot of influence over how
factories treat workers. Fair Wear Foundation works with brands who take
their responsibilities seriously, and want to learn how to use their
influence to make life better for the people who make their clothing. [5]

How It Works
Companies that produce and distribute products of which the main
manufacturing process is sewing join Fair Wear Foundation and, depending
on the direct influence they have with garment factories, become a Fair
Wear Foundation affiliate or Fair Wear Foundation ambassador. Both
affiliates and ambassadors of Fair Wear Foundation work towards
improving the labour conditions in factories and workshops where the
cut-make-trim stage takes place, all over the world. The basis of the
collaboration between Fair Wear Foundation and a member is the Code of

Labour Practices. Eight labour standards form the core of the Code of
Labour Practices. Members of Fair Wear Foundation must comply with this
Code of Labour Practices. [6]

Fair Wear Foundation works with four different types of membership.

[7]

1. Affiliate: Affiliate Membership is open to companies that produce

their own sewn goods - clothing, bags, footwear, home textiles etc.
By becoming an affiliate of Fair Wear Foundation, a company
commits itself to implementing the Code of Labour Practices
throughout its supply chain.
2. Ambassador: Ambassador Membership is designed for companies
who want to contribute to better working conditions by reselling
other Fair Wear Foundation member brands. Ambassadors have to
source at least 40% of their sewn products from Fair Wear
Foundation affiliates or members of comparable initiatives, with
special recognition for those reaching 60% or 90%. A maximum of
10% of sales may be own production.
3. Factory: The membership applies to manufacturing companies
which supply active affiliates of Fair Wear Foundation. A factory
member is expected to commit itself to implementing the Code of
Labour Practices in all production sites and its subcontractors. In
addition, the factory member submits to independent, multistakeholder verification by Fair Wear Foundation.
4. Young Designer: Fair Wear Foundation is approached by young
designers who have just started their own fashion brand on a
regular basis. These brands often want to work in a fair and
sustainable way from the beginning onwards, and contact Fair Wear
Foundation for help. To guide them in this process, Fair Wear
Foundation is developing a Young Designer programme. Learning
and best practice sharing are the focus of this programme.

Guiding Principles

[8]

1. Supply chain responsibility: It deals with realising that the code

can only be fulfilled when sourcing companies, as well as factory
management, actively pursue practices that support good working
conditions.
2. Labour standards derived from ILO Conventions and the
UNs Declaration on Human Rights: It is the basis of Fair Wear
Foundations Code on internationally-recognised standards which
have been set through tri-partite negotiation.

3. Multi-stakeholder verification: A set of verification processes

developed through multi-stakeholder negotiation, and involving
experts from diverse disciplines and perspectives in Fair Wear
Foundation verification teams.
4. A process approach to implementation: It relates with paying
special attention to the means (i.e. building functioning industrial
relations systems over time) in order to achieve the end (i.e.
sustainable workplace improvements).
5. Involvement of stakeholders in production countries: It is
engaging local partners in shaping Fair Wear Foundations approach
in a given region or country.
6. Transparency: It means to keep relevant stakeholders informed of
Fair Wear Foundation policies, activities, and results; publicly
reporting on member company efforts to fulfil Fair Wear Foundation
requirements.

Governing organisations [9]

o
o
o
o
o
o
o

Modint (the trade association for fashion, interior design, carpets

and textiles)
CBW-MITEX (business association for retailers of interior design,
fashion, shoes and sportswear)
FGHS (business association for sporting goods suppliers)
FNV Bondgenoten (federation of trade unions - service industry)
CNV dienstenbond (Christian trade union - service industry)
Clean Clothes Campaign (The Netherlands)
Brot fr alle (Switzerland)

Labour Standards
Fair Wear Foundation developed a strong code and matching pragmatic
approach for members. The basis of the collaboration between Fair Wear
Foundation and a member is the Code of Labour Practices. The core of this
code is made up from eight labour standards derived from ILO
Conventions and the UNs Declaration on Human Rights. This means the
Fair Wear Foundation Code of Labour Practices is based on internationally
recognised standards which have been set through tripartite negotiation.
[10]

1. Employment is freely chosen- There shall be no use of forced,

including bonded or prison, labour (ILO Conventions 29 and 105).[11]
2. There is no discrimination in employment- Recruitment, wage
policy, admittance to training programmes, employee promotion
policy, policies of employment termination, retirement, and any
other aspect of the employment relationship shall be based on the
principle of equal opportunities, regardless of race, colour, sex,

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

religion, political affiliation, union membership, nationality, social

origin, deficiencies or handicaps (ILO Conventions 100 and 111). [12]
No exploitation of child labour- There shall be no use of child
labour. The age for admission to employment shall not be less than
the age of completion of compulsory schooling and, in any case, not
less than 15 years." (ILO Convention 138) "There shall be no forms
of slavery or practices similar to slavery, such as the sale and
trafficking of children, debt bondage and serfdom and forced or
compulsory labour. Children [in the age of 15-18] shall not perform
work which, by its nature or the circumstances in which it is carried
out, is likely to harm their health, safety or morals." (ILO Convention
182). [13]
Freedom of association and the right to collective
bargaining- The right of all workers to form and join trade unions
and bargain collectively shall be recognised. (ILO Conventions 87
and 98) The company shall, in those situations in which the right to
freedom of association and collective bargaining are restricted
under law, facilitate parallel means of independent and free
association and bargaining for all workers. Workers' representatives
shall not be the subject of discrimination and shall have access to all
workplaces necessary to carry out their representation functions
(ILO Convention 135 and Recommendation 143). [14]
Payment of living wage- Wages and benefits paid for a standard
working week shall meet at least legal or industry minimum
standards and always be sufficient to meet basic needs of workers
and their families and to provide some discretionary income. (ILO
Conventions 26 and 131). Deductions from wages for disciplinary
measures shall not be permitted nor shall any deductions from
wages not provided for by national law be permitted. Deductions
shall never constitute an amount that will lead the employee to
receive less than the minimum wage. Employees shall be
adequately and clearly informed about the specifications of their
wages including wage rates and pay period. [15]
No excessive working hours- Hours of work shall comply with
applicable laws and industry standards. In any event, workers shall
not on a regular basis be required to work in excess of 48 hours per
week and shall be provided with at least one day off for every
seven-day period. Overtime shall be voluntary, shall not exceed 12
hours per week, shall not be demanded on a regular basis and shall
always be compensated at a premium rate (ILO Convention 1). [16]
Safe & Healthy working conditions- A safe and hygienic working
environment shall be provided, and best occupational health and
safety practice shall be promoted, bearing in mind the prevailing
knowledge of the industry and of any specific hazards. Appropriate
attention shall be paid to occupational hazards specific to this
branch of the industry and assure that a safe and hygienic work
environment is provided for. Effective regulations shall be

implemented to prevent accidents and minimise health risks as

much as possible (following ILO Convention 155). Physical abuse,
threats of physical abuse, unusual punishments or discipline, sexual
and other harassment, and intimidation by the employer is strictly
prohibited. [17]
8. Legally blinding employment relationship- Obligations to
employees under labour or social security laws and regulations
arising from the regular employment relationship shall not be
avoided through the use of labour-only contracting arrangements, or
through apprenticeship schemes where there is no real intent to
impart skills or provide regular employment. Younger workers shall
be given the opportunity to participate in education and training
programmes. [18]

Approach
The Fair Wear Foundation approach brings together the key components
needed for sustainable change. Companies work step-by-step to improve
conditions in their supply chains. It means cooperation is ensured among
a slew of stakeholders, and accountability among all of the organisation.
[19]

Focus
Focus is restricted to those phases of production where sewing is the main
manufacturing process. Since, these are among the most labour-intensive
phases of the production process, it is also the stage of production where
many labour problems are found, and so, effective remedies can positively
impact the lives of millions of workers.
It means that the staff should have advanced and specialised knowledge
of industry practice and trends. It enables Fair Wear Foundation to
concentrate on building strong working relationships with local and
international stakeholders who, specialise in garments and textiles. [20]

Supply Chain Responsibility

It requires companies to make sourcing decisions that ensure good
working conditions wherever their goods are made. It also requires
companies to have management systems in place to consistently monitor
conditions and support improvements. [21]

Multi-Stakeholder DNA
Fair Wear Foundation joins together business associations, trade
unions, and NGOs as equal partners at every level of Fair Wear
Foundation activity from decision-making at the Board level to
workplace verification and code implementation. Each stakeholder
group has an important role to play in improving working
conditions, and the impact is that much greater when they all work
together.
Fair Wear Foundation gives significant time and resources in
relationship-building with local partners in production countries
because the effectiveness and value of Fair Wear Foundations
system ultimately relies on local stakeholders capacity to effect
change locally.
Fair Wear Foundation involves local stakeholders in every aspect of
its work from auditing to remediation and complaints handling to
development of Fair Wear Foundations overarching country
strategy. [22]

Multi-level Verification
Fair Wear Foundations verification system exists at three levels. Fair Wear
Foundation verifies at factory level and implements a complaints
procedure in all countries where it is active to serve as a safety net.
Finally, Fair Wear Foundation also verifies at the company level to check
whether companies implement the Fair Wear Foundation Code of Labour
Practices in their management systems effectively. [23]

Transparency
For full accountability in supply chains, transparency is necessary at three
key levels: the workplace, the company, and the organization. [24]
1. Fair Wear Foundation makes aggregate data available on Fair Wear
Foundation verification audits public.
2. Fair Wear Foundation conducts brand performance checks,
reviewing each affiliated companys management systems and
performance in fulfilling Fair Wear Foundation requirements. Reports
are available online.
3. Fair Wear Foundation commits to keep local stakeholders aware of
developments at Fair Wear Foundation that pertain to them, makes

country strategy documents and other research public, and

publishes an annual report.
4. Fair Wear Foundation publishes reports on third party complaints.

Cooperation
Fair Wear Foundation cooperates with a range of stakeholders and other
organisations in order to develop sustainable systems for good workplace
conditions. FAIR WEAR FOUNDATION plays an active role in convening the
Jo-In Platform, which assembles the heads of leading Code initiatives
internationally (i.e. Clean Clothes Campaign, Ethical Trading Initiative, Fair
Labour Association, Social Accountability International, and Worker Rights
Consortium). The goal is to harmonise workplace Codes globally and to
collaborate for improved implementation on challenging issues like living
wage and hours work.
Fair Wear Foundation has also developed working partnerships with FLO
International (now called Fairtrade International), United Nations Women,
the European Outdoor Group, and other organizations. Fair Wear
Foundation looks to such collaborative projects to pilot new approaches
and/or to have a greater, more sustainable impact on workplace standards
implementation. [25]

Social Dialogue
Fair Wear Foundation realises good labour conditions by: stimulating sound
industrial relations worldwide and, wherever possible, harmonising policies
and methods. [26]

Fair Wear Foundation Wage Ladder

In November 2014, Fair Wear Foundation launched the second generation
of the Wage Ladder. Fair Wear Foundation has developed a web-based tool

that will help garment brands and factories to gradually improve workers
wages. It is an innovative online tool that helps brands, factories, trade
unions and NGOs to work towards living wages for garment and other
workers. The Fair Wear Foundation Wage Ladder was made possible by the
support of Dutch trade union CNV International and the Dutch ministry of
foreign affairs. [27]

References
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_Wear_Foundation
2. http://www.fairwear.org/22/about/
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_Wear_Foundation
4. http://www.fairwear.org/512/about/organisation/
5. http://www.fairwear.org/595/about/faq/
6. http://www.fairwear.org/22/about/
7. http://www.fairwear.org/585/about/membership-types/
8. http://www.fairwear.org/22/about/
9. http://www.fairwear.org/22/about/
10 .http://www.fairwear.org/488/labour-standards/1.-employment-is-freelychosen/
11. http://www.fairwear.org/488/labour-standards/1.-employment-is-freelychosen/
12. http://www.fairwear.org/490/labour-standards/2.-there-is-nodiscrimination-in-employment/
13. http://www.fairwear.org/492/labour-standards/3.-no-exploitation-ofchild-labour/
14. http://www.fairwear.org/494/labour-standards/4.-freedom-ofassociation-and-the-right-to-collective-bargaining/
15. http://www.fairwear.org/496/labour-standards/5.-payment-of-livingwage/
16. http://www.fairwear.org/498/labour-standards/6.-no-excessive-workinghours/
17. http://www.fairwear.org/500/labour-standards/7.-safe-and-healthyworking-conditions/
18. http://www.fairwear.org/502/labour-standards/8.-legally-bindingemployment-relationship/
19. http://www.fairwear.org/510/about/approach/
20. http://www.fairwear.org/510/about/approach/
21. http://www.fairwear.org/510/about/approach/
22. http://www.fairwear.org/510/about/approach/
23. http://www.fairwear.org/510/about/approach/
24. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_Wear_Foundation
25. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_Wear_Foundation
26. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_Wear_Foundation
27. http://www.fairwear.org/563/wageladder/