TY - JOUR PY - 2016// TI - Do code of conduct audits improve chemical safety in garment factories? Lessons on corporate social responsibility in the supply chain from Fair Wear Foundation JO - International journal of occupational and environmental health A1 - Lindholm, Henrik A1 - Egels-Zandén, Niklas A1 - Rudén, Christina SP - 283 EP - 291 VL - 22 IS - 4 N2 - BACKGROUND: In managing chemical risks to the environment and human health in supply chains, voluntary corporate social responsibility (CSR) measures, such as auditing code of conduct compliance, play an important role.

OBJECTIVES: To examine how well suppliers' chemical health and safety performance complies with buyers' CSR policies and whether audited factories improve their performance.

METHODS: CSR audits (n = 288) of garment factories conducted by Fair Wear Foundation (FWF), an independent non-profit organization, were analyzed using descriptive statistics and statistical modeling.

RESULTS: Forty-three per cent of factories did not comply with the FWF code of conduct, i.e. received remarks on chemical safety. Only among factories audited 10 or more times was there a significant increase in the number of factories receiving no remarks.

CONCLUSIONS: Compliance with chemical safety requirements in garment supply chains is low and auditing is statistically correlated with improvements only at factories that have undergone numerous audits.

Language: en

LA - en SN - 1077-3525 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10773525.2016.1227036 ID - ref1 ER -