Has the CCC model code of conduct been adopted by any companies?
Are there good monitoring and verification models?
Since the late 1990s, a number of projects have been established
at the national level in which different stakeholders (individual
companies or industry federations and national CCCs or their trade
union/NGO members) join efforts to draw up labour codes for global
supply chains, to work out implementation, monitoring and verification
standards and procedures. Most of these engaged in experimental
pilot projects in which a variety of methods and practices are tested
and evaluated. Two large projects, based on the CCC model code were
undertaken in Sweden and Switzerland, reports of which can be found
at www.cleanclothes.ch
and www.somo.nl/monitoring
More recently a pilot project between the German CCC and a company
called Hess Natur
(see http://www.ci-romero.de/seiten/kampagnen/ccc/hess/hess_start.html)
started, looking at different investigation methods (including more
direct union involvement). Also in Germany a pilot project on complaints
mechanisms was agreed by the several companies, the trade union
organisations, the CCC and other NGOs in the context of the so-called
German roundtable on codes of conduct. More information about this
can be obtained from the German CCC - www.cleanclothes.org/contacting.htm.
Two more permanent organisations developed in Europe. In the
Netherlands, unions, union federations, NGOs, including the Dutch
CCC, and clothing industry federations founded the Fair Wear Foundation
(FWF). Individual companies that comply with its code (largely
based on the CCC model code), and meet the requirement FWF makes
concerning its implementation, become a member and FWF verifies
if they are in compliance. Member companies are listed as such
on their website: www.fairwear.nl.
In Great Britain, the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) - an alliance
of individual companies, NGOs and trade-union organisations -
was set up in 1998. ETI is a collaborative project to identify
and promote good practice in the implementation and monitoring
of labour codes of conduct. Its Base Code contains largely the
same labour standards as the CCC model code and the Fair Wear
Code. It differs from the FWF in the following aspects: it extends
beyond the clothing sector to the whole industrial sector and
it does not take responsibility for verifying its members' compliance
with the code - they have to do that themselves. ETI takes an
experimental approach to its activities and considers itself primarily
as an organisation in which information and advice are shared
and experimental projects can be set up and assessed.
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