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CCC Reference Guide on Code Implementation & Verification
Section 2. Pilot projects
2.1 CCCs pilot strategy and main pilot
projects >>
The Swedish Project on Independent monitoring
Title pilot : The Swedish project for independent verification
of compliance with codes of conduct within the garment industry
Industry/Sector focus: Garments industry in Dhaka, Bangladesh,
in Tirupur and Delhi, India and in Guangdong, China.
Dates: Pre-studies: September 1999 - October 2000
Audits: between October 1999 - March 2001
Who was involved?
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Project group, which are four companies of Swedish clothing chains:
Hennes & Mauritz, Kapp-Ahl, Lindex, and Indiska and the Swedish
Clean Clothes Campaign
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Pilot study board made up of four union representatives, four NGO
representatives, representatives from the four retailers, and an
independent president and a secretary
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Auditing in the factories and NGOs
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Researchers were selected to do the interviews with the workers
outside the factory.
Pilot study's background
The pilot study has been carried out by the initiative of the "Swedish
project for independent verification of compliance with codes of conduct
within the garment industry". The project is led by four Swedish
clothing companies (Hennes & Mauritz, Kapp-Ahl, Lindex, and Indiska)
and representatives of the Clean Clothes Campaign in Sweden
The pilot study has been carried out within the framework of the declaration
of intent signed by all participating companies and representatives
of the Swedish CCC. The participating companies adopted their own, differently
formulated, codes of conduct. In order to make it possible to audit
within the framework of the pilot study, a code of conduct has been
chosen and is used in the pilot study. The monitored companies, could
however, chose between different alternatives.
A pilot board was established in October 1999 with representatives
from trade unions, non-governmental organizations, and companies. The
task of the pilot board is to take responsibility for the pilot studies
and suggest solutions/actions to be taken to improve conditions in the
factories that are audited. They are also responsible for the follow
up audits and for making recommendations for continuous improvements.
The pilot board also acts as an independent third party for the audits.
And on the overview of the Swedish pilot project on independent monitoring
see:
http://www.cleanclothes.org/codes/monitoring/project/fo-4-4.htm.
For more information on the implementation and criteria for the pilot
study see: http://www.cleanclothes.org/codes/monitoring/initiatives/swpilot.PDF
Project Aims
The pilot project aims to obtain experiences as to how an independent
verification, credible for all, of the observance of the code of conduct
can look like.
Project implementation
The Swedish pilot project has carried out three prelimentary studies
in banladesh, China and India. Two pilot studies followed in Bangladesh
and southern India. The audits were performed by the "Interek Testing
Service" company and the project coordinator in accordance with
criteria set by the Pilot Board. These criteria included advance interviews
with workers outside the factories, unannounced visits to the factories,
etc. Two further pilot studies were conducted in Northern India and
China until the beginning of 2001.
The pilot projects including the work of the Pilot Board have been
exclusively funded by the companies involved.
Relevant Resources:
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