Social audits have become ubiquitous within the garment and sportswear industry. Thousands of commercial social auditors and so-called consultants are on the scene. However, the experience of workers in garment producing countries is that there are only marginal improvements in working conditions as a result of social audit.

Cividep has chosen so far to work with multi-stakeholder initiatives mainly because of their more participatory structure.

Cividep works with Fair Wear Foundation (FWF) of the Netherlands and International Social Compliance Verification (ISCOM) of Switzerland to enable social audits in garment manufacturing factories in Bangalore. Cividep performs the role of a complaint point for workers who have grievances in the factories being audited.

Fair Wear Foundation

The FWF is an independent not-for-profit organisation that aims to improve labour conditions in factories that produce garments for the Dutch market. FWF is a joint initiative of Dutch companies, trade unions and NGOs and because there are stakeholders from different garment producing countries involved, it is called a multi-stakeholder initiative.

Cividep is the civil society organisation that workers may approach if they have grievances vis-à-vis the management in garment factories in Bangalore where FWF conducts social audit.

International Social Compliance Verification

ISCOM is a Swiss non-governmental organisation founded by Max Havelaar-Foundation (Switzerland), Bread For All and Swiss Catholic Lenten Fund in 2004. ISCOM is also a multi-stakeholder initiative. ISCOM verifies whether partner companies actually implement the code of labour practices.

Cividep is the civil society organisation that workers may approach if they have grievances vis-à-vis the management in garment factories in Bangalore where ISCOM conducts social audit.