International development: ethical procurementConsumer awareness and critical mass in retail purchasing have brought about a positive change to the practices of retail procurement. Prospect members have taken forward this ethical 'shopping trolley' approach by means of a conference decision that all Prospect offices will only procure fair trade projects. Bargaining for International Development, our three-year project (2008-2011) funded by the Department for International Development (DFID), will allow us to formalise this enthusiasm and commitment. We will look at organisational procurement practices here in the UK and how they have an impact on workers in the developing world.
Get involvedWe will support members and branches wishing to engage with this issue by providing training on supply chains and procurement practices. We'll identify a number of our employing areas, and with ETI's help we'll work with our members and reps to identify the entire supply chain for a specific product used in each workplace. For more information contact beverly.hall@prospect.org.uk Find out more about:Ethical trade and fairtrade: complementary approaches (A joint statement by the Ethical Trading Initiative and the Fairtrade Foundation - PDF file) Prospect's Millennium Development Goals video clip on YouTube The ILO's core labour standards Banana Link - working towards a fair and sustainable banana trade Good Electronics - an international network on human rights and sustainability in electronics |
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We aim to encourage members to call for ethical procurement to be added to the bargaining agenda with their employers. This will include raising awareness on ethical investments relating to pension funds. We will be working in partnership with the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI), whose ultimate goal is toensure that the working conditions of workers in companies that supply goods to UK consumers meet or exceed international standards, using the core labour standards and the Millennium Development Goals as benchmarks.
