Summary
This study evaluates the results of a two-year pilot aimed at testing the applicability of the Goodweave model to the apparel and jewelry sectors. The pilot had four key objectives: to leverage market influence over suppliers; to improve supply chain transparency; to offer educational opportunities for children in garment worker communities and to ensure decent work for adults. The evaluation relied predominantly on qualitative methods. It found that child and forced labour, low levels of education and poor working conditions were all relevant issues for the model to address in the garment sector and in the target communities. The model effectively increased access to education for children at risk of becoming child labourers, but whether this has reduced child labour or not depends on the extent to which children enrolled in school also continue to work long hours. This aspect of the approach is yet to be monitored systematically or sufficiently by the initiative. The standard in its current form does allow the initiative to maintain a unique focus on the informal portions of the supply chain. This is the greatest strength of the apparel standard, and will benefit the initiative in terms of its positioning. While the standard has the potential to improve working conditions for adults and therefore positively impact child labour through reducing the need for children to work, this potential has not yet been fully realized.