Laborlink Receives First Ever Best Social Enterprise Award
Ethical Corporation's Responsible Business Awards Recognize Growing Importance of Technology-Driven Worker Engagement
LONDON, September 30, 2015 /3BL Media/ — Laborlink was presented the first ever Best Social Enterprise award for its mission to improve working conditions in the supply chains of our favorite apparel and electronics brands. Now in its 6th year, the Ethical Corporation’s Responsible Business Awards are a truly international affair, honoring responsible business practice from around the world.
Although the Ethical Trading Initiative estimates that brands spend $50 billion annually on third-party audits, an estimated 12.3 million people still endure forced labor conditions and about 6,000 workers die daily of work-related accidents or diseases. Why? Because those workers are invisible. With Laborlink, workers can privately listen to survey questions in their native language, and discreetly input their answers using the phone’s keypad – at no cost to the worker.
Laborlink leverages the rapid spread of mobile phones to establish an anonymous two-way communication channel for workers to report on real factory conditions, and for companies to receive unfiltered data directly from workers, 365 days a year. By translating worker voices into actionable analytics, Laborlink enables companies and factories to make data-driven decisions that enhance worker well-being. Partner companies in the UK include Vodafone, Marks & Spencer, Boden, ASOS, and Primark.
“It is great timing with the recent adoption of the UN Sustainable Development Goals that Laborlink is being recognized at the forefront of technology-enabled worker engagement,” said Heather Franzese, Executive Director of Good World Solutions. “We expect this to become the standard way that companies engage with workers in their supply chains and promote SDG #8, decent work and economic growth.”
Laborlink data has been used to address sexual harassment in South India, uncover child labor violations in China, and report structural concerns in Bangladesh. Good World Solutions also built a first-of-its-kind Amader Kotha Worker Helpline, in partnership with the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety, Clear Voice and Bangladeshi NGO Phulki. The Helpline has reached an additional 535,000 workers in 280 factories in Bangladesh. In March alone, 290 substantive issues were reported, from urgent fires to unfair compensation, with 97% of cases being resolved by the end of the month.
Honored to be named Best Social Enterprise, Laborlink accepted the award on behalf of the 300,000 workers they have already reached, and on behalf of the millions of other workers who are still invisible in factories around the world. Founded in 2010, Laborlink is grateful for financial support from The Walt Disney Company, Cisco Systems, and USAID Development Innovation Ventures (DIV).
For more information about Laborlink, visit www.goodworldsolutions.org.
About Good World Solutions
Good World Solutions activates technology to enable socially responsible supply chains. Its mobile solution, Laborlink, leverages the rapid spread of mobile phones to establish an anonymous two-way communication channel for workers to report on real factory conditions, and for companies to receive unfiltered data directly from workers. By translating worker voices into actionable analytics, Laborlink enables companies and factories to make data-driven decisions that measurably improve worker well-being. Since 2010, Laborlink has reached more than 300,000 workers in the supply chains of major apparel and electronics companies in 16 countries.
About the Ethical Corporation Responsible Business Awards
Now in its 6th year, The Responsible Business Awards celebrates and honors responsible business practice from around the world. Ethical Corporation, established in 2001, has a mission to help businesses around the globe do the right thing by their customers and the world. We believe this is not only how to guarantee a future for all, but makes good business sense. We serve CSR, compliance, risk and governance communities with topical and insightful business intelligence and meeting places. We provide business intelligence to more than 3,000 multinational companies every year. Our customers are also NGOs, think-tanks, academia, governments and consultancies. We publish the leading responsible business magazine, website, and research reports. Our conferences are widely recognized as the best in the field.
