Better Work is a partnership between the United Nation’s International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group. Better Work is a comprehensive programme bringing together all levels of the global garment industry to improve working conditions and respect labour rights for workers, while boosting the competitiveness of apparel businesses.

Better Work is a partnership between the United Nation’s International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group. Better Work is a comprehensive programme bringing together all levels of the global garment industry to improve working conditions and respect labour rights for workers, while boosting the competitiveness of apparel businesses. The Better Work approach creates lasting, positive change to supply chains through factory assessments and training, as well as advocacy and research that changes policies, attitudes and behaviors. The programme partners with international brands and operates in 12 manufacturing countries: Bangladesh, Cambodia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Haiti, Indonesia, Jordan, Madagascar, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Viet Nam. By sharing our approach and the results of our on-the groundwork, we seek to influence policy makers and decision makers to promoted decent work and better business.

Better Work works with more than 100 well-known global brands to support a thriving, competitive garment industry with decent working conditions. In collaboration with suppliers, factories, trade unions and governments, Better Work has created lasting, positive change through capacity-building, assessments, training and research focused on changing attitudes and behaviour. Collaborating with the programme helps brands help mitigate risk and remedy poor working conditions by supporting suppliers to improve adherence to labour standards and laws; Better Work helps provide better transparency on compliance and supports the development of stable and well-managed sourcing environments. In partnership with Better Work, international brands become industry leaders in the movement to reimagine the global supply chain, where workers’ rights are realized and businesses gain a competitive advantage to grow.

In the context of Covid-19, Better Work has evolved their factory services (to offer virtual where in-person services are not possible), including ongoing assessments of working conditions in areas such as health and safety, gender equality, wages and overtime, as well as advisory and training services, which focus on workermanagement dialogue, gender equity, leadership skills and the cultivation of continuous learning. Financial and human resources have been redirected towards helping factories reopen under new health and safety guidelines, partnering on health and safety awareness campaigns, and working closely with national governments, employers and workers on industry-wide responses to rebuild a more resilient garment sector.