Advising

Feedback on the strategic plan was extremely helpful. Having Sabita Banerji working with us we found very beneficial given her understanding of the tea industry and tea producers. It means we have a conversation where genuine valid constructive and illuminating points can be made towards what we are doing.

Michael Pennant-Jones, Group Head of Sustainability, James Finlay Limited

With growing consumer pressure on brands and retailers to ensure workers’ rights are respected, companies and organisations need to understand what they can practically do to implement international standards (such as the ILO Conventions and the Sustainable Development Goals) and comply with labour laws (such as the UK’s Modern Slavery Act).

Supporting the rights and well-being of workers in their international supply chains also brings business benefits such as increased consumer confidence, a more stable and productive supply base and reduced reputational risk.

I have worked closely with companies, trade unions, NGOs, academics and labour organisations providing advice and guidance on ethical trade issues across multiple supply chains and countries, especially in the garments and food sector – tea in particular.

What I can offer

• Practical advice on the implementation of fair and ethical trade programmes or initiatives in international supply chains, especially in relation to
  • living wages
  • working hours
  • responsible purchasing practices
  • empowering women workers
• Advice and practical support in developing or reviewing companies’ ethical trade strategies and action plans.
• Support with ETI Strategic Plans and Annual Reports
• Advice for companies who are preparing for ETI membership.

Please do contact me for an initial chat about how I could help.

My Ethical Trade Advisory experience

• Working with ETI programme managers to design ethical trade programmes with strong, clear, measurable objectives with robust monitoring and evaluation systems built in for learning and action – see M&E (MandELA).
• Commissioning research and guidance on living wages in global supply chains, running and participating in international workshops and conferences and and networking with experts. Providing advice to individual companies on moving towards living wages, for example in Chinese garment factories and Indian stone quarries. Writing blogs and articles on Living Wage for ETI, TUC and The Guardian.
• Developing and implementing ETI’s strategy on empowering women workers, including a gender analysis of five ETI corporate members, as part of a wider collaboration with the University of Manchester to understand what works in empowering women workers. Organising and participating in workshops and conferences and networking with international women’s economic empowerment experts.
• Managing a major international supplier survey on the impact of purchasing practices on suppliers’ ability to provide decent pay and working conditions. Working with the ILO, other multi-stakeholder initiatives and sectoral advisors to develop practical guidance for companies on responsible purchasing practices informed by the evidence produced by the supplier survey.
• Managing the implementation of ETI’s revised Base Code clause on Working Hours working with a tripartite working group comprising companies, trade unions and specialist NGOs, developing guidance and responding to queries from individual companies.