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US investor coalition, ICCR, is pressing 25 companies to adopt policies to avoid potential human trafficking in their supply chains

"The verification of supermarket policies with the case study in Morocco shows that there is a clear disconnect between labour standards that supermarkets uphold and the harsh reality for green beans workers. It is recommended that supermarkets exercise proper due diligence by investigating and addressing workplace related problems in FFV supply chains independently and more rigorously. "

"The BSCI Code draws on important international labour standards protecting workers' rights such as International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions, declarations of the United Nations (UN) as well as guidelines of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). It sets out 11 core labour rights, which our participating companies and their business partners commit to incorporating within their supply chain in a step-by-step development approach. The 2014 version has been reinforced with new principles such as 'No Precarious Employment' and 'Ethical Business Behaviour'. "

Blog arguing for a Responsible Supply Chain Management model that creates 'CSR risk free sourcing and investment zones' through collaboration with governments and suporting enforcement, rather than pushing for improved standards through private initiatives and auditing

Broad overview of supply chain and labour issues from Auret. covers a range of issues in an engaging manner

World Bank note (May 2012) on wage and poverty alleviation trends linked to the garment sector. "A radical shift in apparel production between countries over the last few years has had mixed results in wages and poverty reduction across the developing world. This is particularly true since the end of the Multi-Fibre Arrangement (MFA) and the Agreement on Textiles and Clothing (ATC) in 2005, which abolished export and import quotas. While most people predicted that China would gain, because of low wages, and all others would lose, many other Asian apparel exporters in fact benefited, such as Bangladesh, India, Vietnam and Pakistan. And not just because of low wages -salaries tended to increase in most exporting countries-but because of domestic policies supporting the textile industry. On the other hand, countries like Honduras, Mexico, Morocco and Sri Lanka experienced falling apparel employment, something that would appear to be bad news as jobs for women and workers most likely to be closest to poverty, were lost. But Mexico's experience suggests that shifting out of apparel may not be necessarily negative news when the country is moving up the value chain into more advanced manufacturing. In fact, this would be a sign of economic development as long as the shift into higher-value goods and services is possible. What matters is for countries to have policies that focus on improving competitiveness in the long-run, but also workforce programs to help workers make the transition. Increasing apparel exports is a good thing for poverty reduction in developing countries but moving up the ladder is an inevitable step in the quest for prosperity. Let's allow the textile industry to keep moving across borders and to help countries lift themselves out of poverty."

Excellent and thorough report on Bangladesh garment industry - with historical and value chain analysis - arguing that endemic sub-contracting is unaddressed by current initiatives

Stuart Bell blogs on the need for smarter ways to assess risk

Online guidance covering risk assessment, monitoring and remediation

"This report digs underneath the façade of social auditing and certification schemes to reveal a deeply disturbing abdication of responsibilities on the part of both governments to protect human rights at the workplace and of companies to respect these rights by exercising due diligence regarding the impact of their business activities and their business relationships."

New efforts by HP to limit use of temporary student workers

New FLO (Fairtrade) Standard for Hired Labour.

Annual report from BSCI highlights improvements in audit results (28% audited factories and farms were rated "good" in the initial audit, followed by 51% in the re-audit) as well as capacity-building programmes. a focus on the agricultural sector is particularly highlighted.

TUC welcomes the agreement between Indonesian unions and major sportswear brands