The GSCP's main goal through convergence is ultimately to facilitate the remediation of the root causes of non-compliance, and to support the development and management with and by suppliers of their own solutions.

Having built convergence where possible and having promoted understanding and transfer of information, retailers and brand manufacturers will then be better placed to work collaboratively on remediation of non-compliances and improvement of working and environmental conditions through capacity building at supplier site.

This will be achieved first through the common application by buying companies of the requirements set out in the GSCP reference tools and therefore the delivery of a shared message to suppliers regarding social and environmental requirements.

Secondly, work on remediation at suppliers’ site will be done collaboratively through (a) the introduction of Centralized Expert Working Groups tackling remediation and capacity building topics requiring cross-industry guidelines (e.g. supplier management systems or fire safety) and (b) a more on-the-ground perspective and focus through the establishment of Regional Clusters. These will serve as local intelligence & implementation platforms, will facilitate local engagement and assist awareness building. In both cases these groups will include not only GSCP members company representatives, but also the key organisations working on the subject and other stakeholders, including civil society and suppliers.

Forum on Remediation

• build relevant tools for capacity building and training
• openly discuss issues of common interest
• exchange experiences and learn from each other’s practice in the field
• strengthen collaborative approaches

GSCP Webinars

The GSCP also organises regular webinars open to Task Force members. These sessions give members the opportunity to share information on existing projects and initiatives which support the continuous improvement of working and environmental conditions in global supply chains.

Read extracts:

Geosansar - developing financial litteracy: the route to financial inclusion for low-income workers in India

Purchasing practices series:

Impactt - responsible purchasing practices in the garment industry

ETI Norway - the supplier perspective and input on purchasing practices

Acona - purchasing practices: what we've learnt (Acona's work with buying companies)

EcoVadis - GSCP webinar on the EcoVadis collaborative platform for supplier sustainability assessment

SAI - GSCP webinar on SAI's Social Fingerprint™ programme to measure and improve social performance

CARE Bangladesh - GSCP webinar on CARE's public sector partnerships and collaborative programmes in Bangladesh

OIA / EOG - GSCP webinar on the Outdoor Industry's Eco Index

New Earth - GSCP webinar on New Earth's life cycle asssessment tools

T4SD - GSCP webinar on the Trade for Sustainable Development programme

White Gold - GSCP webinar on forced child labour in Uzbekistan’s cotton industry