How To Manage China & Asia Supply Chain Labour Risks

PRE-COURSE Bonus: All participants are eligible for a OneOnOne pre-Launch one hour call (or meeting if in London) with Course Tutor Kate Larsen, to review your company status, challenges and queries and Goals for the Course, including specific topics and issues you'd like covered by the Tutor and experts in the Course.

Classes and Modules:
Class ONE: 

Module 1: Policies and new expectations for Modern Slavery & Human Rights Defenders. 

The course will introduce the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights launched 2011, how this "soft law" is slowly moving into "hard law", and what this means companies increasingly are expected to do in terms of Human Rights Due Diligence for supply chain labour standards risks. 

We will review long-standing "sweatshop" type poor labour conditions risks, as well as discuss new risks such as for Uighur people in China, and from the increase in south Asian workers to Japan, Taiwan, Korea, Malaysia supply chains. We will discuss how these Modern Slavery risks have led to the "no-fees" movement and how companies creating policies for this are actually implementing it in practise (including the "who pays?" question). 

New expectations from the Corporate Human Rights Benchmark (CHRB), KnowTheChain and other ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) investment world assessments of listed and Private Equity owned companies will be introduced. 

Some feedback can be provided on draft policy upgrades.  

Module 2: Lawsuits, Assessments, robust Audits and Databases. 

Why do robust Social Audits matter? Why are just audits not enough? Do audits work? If so, when? Is using databases for sharing audits like Ecovadis and SEDEX enough? What about SA8000, WRAP, Fairtrade and other certifications? Are they good enough? What's the difference between a visit and a robust audit, and why does it matter? We will review new legal cases where companies have been sued for complicity in supply chain labour standards (including safety) impacts including cases against brands KIK (Germany), JoeFresh, Nevsun, and more and why this means greater Human Rights Due Diligence in supply chain labour standards monitoring is required. 

Participants can use slides provided internally to educate their teams.

FIELD EXPERT INTERVIEW: With a leading NGO expert on new policies businesses require and/or highly experienced auditor. A chance for participants to gain independant insights and answers to their questions.

Class TWO: 

Module 3: Layering with Capacity Building to support suppliers, reduce risks and gain productivity benefits. 

Why companies introduce this, who pays (free options), how it improves monitoring to reduce risks, KPIs, productivity and other business benefits, worker rights benefits. Different options across Asian country supply chains (China, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Japan, Cambodia, Indonesia, India, etc). 

Participants can be provided insights into relevant online and free training available for suppliers.  

Module 4: Collaboration and Multi-Stakeholder Initiatives. 

The course will review Multi-Stakeholder Initiaitves and why companies are expected to participate in them, and the various types of supply chain labour standards initiatives (especially for Asia manufacturing supply chains) including certifications, their strengths and weaknesses. We will review how they are initiated, who pays, how to use participation to improve supply chain conditions and reduce costs, and to deliver HRDD. The course will profile various initiatives across Asia including in China, Bangladesh, Cambodia, etc. We will review why companies join the UK Ethical Trading Initiative, USA based Fair Labor Association, European based Amfori (BSCI), SAI, ICTI, Fairwear or the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) and how to gain Value from participating in these or other Initiatives. We will discuss the role of Brands and Buyer, and how leverage can and is expected to be used. 

We will review and critique strengths and weaknesses of the most relevant initiatives for participants industries and supply chain footprints.

FIELD EXPERT INTERVIEW: With a leading capacity building delivery expert working with companies. A chance to hear what leader companies are doing, or how smaller or earlier stage companies initiate this.

Class THREE:

Module 5: Layering Monitoring, Education, and Engaging with Worker Helplines. 

Why many brands and firms buying from Asia factories have created partnerships to for many years provide these services for workers in key suppliers, who provides these services, and how to make rollout affordable (and through legal pre-competitive collaboration), have value, and support the responsibility of business to respect workers Human Rights including to Freedom of Association & Collective Bargaining. 

We will discuss the basic Protocols needed for reporting, and how these can be developed to manage risks around these tools, and how helplines can partner with important stakeholders, even trade unions. 

The course will also explain the new national UK Modern Slavery Helpline, and why this is operated differently to those used in some countries with different Human Rights situations. 

Module 6: Multi-Stakeholder Initiatives (MSIs) and how they help companies deliver robust HRDD. 

We will further review how supply chain labour standards collaboration Initiatives and MSIs are initiated, funded, used, track report, and how to start and participate in these. We will review their databases, protocols and how these are set-up, and more about the value of collaboration & with NGOs and other stakeholders. We will discuss when to engage police and services, and how to deal with modern slavery, sexual harassment reports, etc. 

FIELD EXPERT INTERVIEW: With a leading Multi-Stakeholder Initiative which companies participate in. A chance to hear the latest risks they are seeing and new ways companies are responding.

Class FOUR:

Module 7: Delivering on the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) in Supply Chains through using Leverage. 

Course participants will be provided examples of where businesses have appropriately used their voice to influence supplier respect for human rights. We will also review further why pre-competitive collaboration matters, how to ensure it is conducted legally and how many brands have done so in various ways for many years, tips. Benefits and aspects for how to manage brand collaboration. How to show business benefits internally and report externally.

Module 8: Why and How to use Leverage and Voice and for Crisis management: 

We will review further why companies are wncreasingly, and under the UNGPs, expected to use their leverage in collaboration or directly toward improved conditions for workers, country policies for labour standards, and examples of many buyers who have done this in China, Cambodia, Bangladesh, UK, USA, etc. In particular we willl review new expectations for Human Rights Defender Policies and examples of how these are used in pragmatic business appropriate ways.

FIELD EXPERT INTERVIEW: With field experts experienced in set-up and gaining business and social impact benefit from collaboration.

Class FIVE:

Module 9: Purchasing Practices and Incentives:Why alignment of internal company purchasing practises, improved balanced scorecards incorporating robust, fair monitoring data, and internal incentives is crucial to reduce supply chain labour and environmental standards risk, improve supplier productivity, and deliver responsible sourcing and human rights due diligence. How companies improve purchasing practises. 

Module 10:  The Transparency movement and what's next after the UK Modern Slavery Act (MSA). 

We will review the UK MSA Transparency in Supply Chains, etc (TISC) reporting clause, it's California predecessor, Australia's upcoming MSA TISC, new laws in the Netherlands, France, USA, and potential new laws in Canada, HK, etc. We will review how companies can deliver Responsible Sourcing HRDD work toward meeting the new expectations for transparency of these new laws applying the tools introduced in the course and others relevant to participants company supply chain footprints. We will also discuss the role of country risk reviews and Human Rights Impact Assessments (HRIAs) and across all operations and onsite supply chains now that the Act brings supply chain labour standards risks into the Boardroom. 

FIELD EXPERT INTERVIEW: With a leading NGO expert on new policies businesses are now required to have for Human Rights Due Diligence.

CLOSING CLASS: Each participant will be eligible to have draft new Policies or Programme plans reviewed before the course ends, and for a one-hour direct OneonOne call (with colleagues if best) to ensure Course Module learnings are understood, discuss company specific challenges and questions, and support implementation of Course Learnings. 

 Where relevant the Instructor can apply experience in reviewing your updated company Modern Slavery Act statement, toward the latest good practise.

OUTPUTS : 

Participants will be Guided and Supporting through each Class and Module, guidance materials (including links), introductions to field experts, and in one-on-one emails or calls in How To:

• Assess, influence remediation of when neccessary, and monitor Supply Chain labour standards risks including Modern Slavery;
• Do this to business Human Rights Due Diligence good practice standards; 
• Update or create their Responsible Sourcing programme engaged in appropriate initiatives; and thereby
  
• Implement the course learnings for benefits for their suppliers, their workers, and their business.

Timing of Course Classes: When you register, you'll be asked to answer a quick Survey of your available times for the Course Webinars. The Webinars will then be offered in the times that work best for maximum participation by all 5 participants. For any webinars you can't make, all will be recorded online for you to watch at any time of your convenience (or just to rewatch if you missed something), and you can post questions in the group or email them to the Instructor. Participants should also be able to download them to their smart phone or other mobile device to view or listen to the Course Webinar classes offline or at a convenient time.