Strengthening Implementation of Corporate Social Responsibility in Global Supply Chains

The specific objectives of this study are to:

1. Identify the key barriers to improved implementation of codes of conduct at the level of suppliers.

2. Identify and prioritize viable options for addressing these barriers.

This report is based on the perspectives collected in consultations with close to 400 individuals, including almost 200 workers and 200 representatives of organizations and companies, and the subsequent analysis of the project consortium on the feedback received.The study focuses attention on the apparel and agriculture sectors, and draws upon consultations in China, Honduras, India, Kenya, the United States, and Europe. The project consortium met with a diverse range of parties in these locations, including suppliers, stakeholders (nongovernmental organizations [NGOs], trade unions, multistakeholder initiatives, business networks and public officials), buyers (multinational companies), and workers. Consultations were conducted during a 10-week period between May and July 2003. The identification of key barriers to improved implementation of codes of conduct departed from the testing of a select group of key barriers (key challenges and underpinning assumptions) identified by the World Bank in its Terms of Reference for the study.