(July 20 – 09:45 ET) – Four socially responsible investment institutions are sponsoring the Third Annual Supplier’s Conference on workplace standards compliance in China, taking place in Shanghai on July 21. The goal of the conference is to develop the capacity of factory managers to establish workplace conditions that meet internationally agreed upon human and labour rights standards and eliminate sweatshops in China.
Vancouver-based Ethical Funds Inc., Bethesda, Maryland-based Calvert Group, Ltd., New York City-based Domini Social Investments, and Boston-based Walden Asset Management are sponsoring the conference in Shanghai.
The conference is presented by Verité, a non-profit organization based in Amherst, Mass. “Our realm of operation is enormous, but our mission is succinct,” explained Heather White, Verité’s founder and executive director. “Eliminate labour and human rights abuses in sweatshops everywhere.”
The target audience for the conference is Chinese manufacturers who export products to Europe and North America. The conference will respond to the desire of many factory owners and operators to understand the compliance monitoring process and provide the practical tools needed to meet the changing expectations of the workplace.
“This conference and the work of groups like Verité may look like small steps to some people” said Robert Walker vice president, SRI policy and research at Ethical Funds. “But it’s wrong to underestimate their importance. The United Nation’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Labour Organisation’s labour conventions are crucially important contributions to the creation of a just and sustainable society. This conference is one more effort designed to put those visionary statements into practice. In terms of fundamental social change, this is where the rubber hits the road.”
-IE Staff