VF Corporation advances global partnership with Better Work

On International Workers’ Day, VF is progressing its goal to improve the lives of one million people by 2025 through enhanced worker well-being programs

As a Global Partner, VF will increase collaboration with Better Work through enhanced training and assessments on critical supply chain issues such as child labor, discrimination, forced labor, freedom of association, and occupational health and safety.

Better Work is a collaboration between the UN’s International Labor Organization (ILO) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, that brings together all levels of the garment industry to improve working conditions, respect labor rights for workers, and improve the competitiveness of the industry. VF is one of 40 Global Partners of the Better Work program.

"Our partnership with Better Work is another demonstration of our deep commitment to managing an ethical, responsible, and sustainable supply chain that puts people at the center," said Peter Higgins, VF’s Vice President Global Responsible Sourcing. "I'm confident this strengthened partnership will do even more to support the advancement of key human rights priorities, including those focused on freedom of association, gender-based violence and workplace harassment."

As a Better Work Global Partner, VF-authorized contract facilities will go through in-depth training and assessments on material issues that can impact apparel supply chains. The program will run in supplier factories located in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Egypt, Haiti, Indonesia, Jordan, Nicaragua, and Vietnam, where working conditions and improvements will be assessed at each location. If issues arise, VF, Better Work and the factory, including workers, will collaborate on effective remediation solutions that directly impact and improve factory workers' lives. The program will also implement Better Work’s two-fold strategy to promote compliance with national law and international core labor standards.

VF's strengthened partnership with Better Work builds on the prior success of VF's 2018 Industrial Relations Leadership pilot program with Better Factories Cambodia. This pilot successfully enhanced collaboration and communication at VF's strategic factories while building capacity for worker representatives and management, as well as delivering a positive impact on workplace issues, especially industrial relations. The pilot was expanded to include two more factories in Cambodia and Vietnam.

“Better Work looks forward to its deeper engagement with VF as a global partner,” said Tara Rangarajan, Head of Better Work’s Brand Engagement Team. “This is a significant milestone in our ability to work together to continue improving working conditions in the apparel industry.”

To learn more about Better Work, please visit: https://betterwork.org/