Multi-Actor Partnership for Due Diligence in Bangladesh's Textile Sector
A multi-actor initiative strengthening human rights due diligence in Bangladesh's garment sector through worker-based monitoring, data analysis, and trade union support.
Objectives
Project Description
This project brings together Dutch, German and Bangladeshi civil society organisations, international labour organisations, and data partners to support companies in meeting their human rights due diligence (HRDD) obligations in the textile supply chain.
Two complementary monitoring methods are implemented in the Savar sub-district of Dhaka, Bangladesh, with potential for scaling.
The Worker-Based Monitoring (WBM) component - led by WageIndicator Foundation, Mondiaal FNV, and Bangladesh Labour Foundation - uses the Decent Work Check (DWC) methodology to interview garment and textile workers outside factory premises.
The DWC surveys collect data on wages and working conditions, which are benchmarked against Bangladeshi labour law. Results are published online and updated annually, enabling trade unions to use the findings in negotiations with supplier factories. WageIndicator is responsible for the data collection design, DecentWorkCheck surveys, back-end data analysis, compliance assessments, and online publication of results.
To date, 54 factories have been assessed and 1,641 workers interviewed.
The Community-Based Monitoring (CBM) component, led by HEJSupport and ESDO, documents negative environmental impacts in communities near textile production sites.
Cases are forwarded to local authorities to support enforcement action, and chemical sampling provides scientific evidence of environmental harm.
Funders
FEMNET e.V. with funds from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) • Mondiaal FNV
Role WageIndicator
- Collecting worker data
WageIndicator gathers first-hand information from workers in garment factories through surveys and interviews, ensuring their experiences and priorities are captured safely and anonymously.
2. Turning data into insights
WageIndicator cleans, analyses, and interprets the data to identify key issues such as wages, working conditions, and rights violations.
3. Supporting unions and partners
We help trade unions and partners use this data in practice - through training, visualisations, and collaboration - so they can strengthen negotiations with employers and push for better working conditions.
Project Partners
- FEMNET e.V. (Lead)
- ESDO (Environment and Social Development Organization)
- BILS (Bangladesh Institute of Labor Studies)
- FEMNET e.V.
- HEJSupport
- INKOTA-netzwerkSÜD
- SÜDWIND-Institut
- WageIndicator Foundation
- Bangladesh Labour Foundation
- Mondiaal FNV
WageIndicator Foundation, Bangladesh Labour Foundation and Mondiaal FNV are responsible for rolling out the Decent Work Check across 50 factories for the duration of the project under the header of "Worker-Based Monitoring (WBM)".
