Labor rights abuses remain unidentified and unresolved when workers are not heard and we do not have reliable data about the supply chains they are operating within.
The Worker Rights Consortium is an independent, nonprofit factory monitoring organization which conducts labor rights investigations in garment facilities around the world on behalf of universities, government entities, and other partners and in response to worker complaints. Through factory investigations, they have secured remedies for over 700,000 workers.
Since 2022, Worker Rights Consortium has been using the Wikirate database of supply chain relationships to link global brands to factories where abuses have been uncovered.
Worker Rights Consortium uses this data to:
Link global brands to factories where violations have been uncovered. By identifying which buyers are supplied by a factory, WRC can work with those buyers, factory management, and other stakeholders to ensure that corrective action is fully achieved.
Highlight abuses by compiling and publishing factory investigations. So far, Worker Rights Consortium have used Wikirate data in over 70 investigations since 2022.
Better understand worker populations and concentrations in certain geographies through demographic data
Wikirate data has helped the WRC efficiently identify or confirm business relationships between apparel companies and their suppliers, enabling us to engage the right people when our investigations reveal violations of labor rights standards.
- Sarah Reed, Director of Strategic Research, Worker Rights Consortium
Further reading:
Factory Investigations | Worker Rights Consortium
Research Reports | Worker Rights Consortium
Apparel Supply Chain Relations Data | Wikirate
Facility Checker | Wikirate & Clean Clothes Campaign
In the news:
Garment workers have lost out on $4bn of severance pay, says rights group | The Guardian
Workers for fast fashion brands fear starvation as they fight for higher wages | The Guardian
Investors pressure Nike on wages allegedly owed to factory workers | Financial Times