Recently the first iteration of factories have graduated from the Race to the Top program, and a shift has been identified in how the factory’s supervisors treat the workers, how workers are speaking out more in comparison to the situation prior to the start of the program and showcases that the worker engagement training component seems to be effective as workers have been given the tools to start a dialogue with factory management.
These are the first preliminary outcomes from the case study IDH is conducting to capture the key outcomes of what these factories have achieved and learned whilst progressing through the Race to the Top program. Interviews are taking place with factory employee representatives, brand representatives and social and industry experts and data is being analyzed to fully understand how the program has impacted the factory and its workers. The case study will be completed next month so stay tuned for more in our newsletter after summer.
IDH manages the Race to the Top program in Vietnam, a collaboration between leading apparel & footwear brands, the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC), IFC, Better Work, P4G, Vietnamese and international public partners, with support of USAID. The program seeks to catalyze sustainable growth of the apparel and footwear sector in Vietnam, by bringing improvements in four areas:
- Proving and improving the economic, societal, and reputational benefits of a sustainable apparel industry for both the government and the sector;
- Creating a supportive policy and regulatory environment for sustainable production;
- Improving the business rationale for manufacturers and mills to invest in sustainable production;
- Creating cost-efficiencies by coordinated and innovative activities at country-level.