The issue
The World Bank Group, a worldwide financial institution, commissioned a study on the strengthening of implementation of CSR codes of conduct in global supply chains. The study set out to explore the barriers to efficient implementation of CSR codes of conduct at supplier level and to identify viable options to overcome those barriers. The overall objective was to contribute to a broader goal of removing unnecessary barriers to CSR compliance at the supplier level in global supply chains, enabling more suppliers to implement CSR standards more easily. A Steering Group comprised of the International Labour Organisation, the International Finance Corporation, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, and the UN Global Compact, surveyed the study.
Our approach
The study:
- Was carried out in cooperation with the Danish Institute for Human Rights and Business for Social Responsibility;
- Was implemented over the course of only three months as a multi-stakeholder consultation process in two industry sectors, agriculture and apparel, in China, Honduras, India, Kenya, Europe and the United States;
- Involved in-person and telephonic consultations with -approximately 200 individuals representing multinational corporations, suppliers, local unions and NGOs, international unions and NGOs, government representatives, business organisations, and nearly 200 workers in China, Honduras, India and Kenya.
The outcome
The study resulted in a comprehensive, analytical report that identified the key barriers to implementation of CSR codes of conduct at supplier level. It also provided the Bank with numerous options for action, some of which are directed to the World Bank and other multilateral organisations, and to multinational corporations, suppliers, host and home governments, trade unions and other civil society organisations.
As such, the report provided the Bank with a substantial and critical input to its efforts of advising developing country governments on how to use corporate social responsibility in their development strategies.
