Step 7: Independent Review

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Key Points

Independent review, or independent third-party verification, and impact evaluations are critical to review and assess whether a social compliance process —from Step 1 to Step 8—is really worker-driven and is reducing and remediating the risk or incidence of child labor, forced labor, and other labor abuses in supply chains.
- Independent review or independent third-party verification of a mechanism is often conducted through a combination of grievance mechanisms and social auditing as discussed in Step 5. When conducted effectively and in close collaboration with workers and workers’ organizations, these steps help companies identify areas for improvement and provide stakeholders with information on the implementation and effectiveness of a company’s system.
- There are several inherent limitations to the independence of social auditing. For example, a social auditor may be compromised to the extent it is paid and/or engaged by the company being audited. Efficacy of independent third-party verifications has historically been limited because they often do not involve consultation with workers and workers’ organizations.
Certification programs certify products or processes using established sets of standards. Some of them confer a label on certified products to communicate to consumers that the product was produced under certain conditions. Certification approves the process of compliance—not the outcomes—and is not where a company’s efforts should stop. Certification programs should not be used to claim that no child labor or forced labor is involved in the production of a good, but rather that the company is taking steps to prevent child labor, forced labor, and other labor issues from occurring. Workers’ organizations, including trade unions, are key stakeholders to consult when considering if a certification program is credible. Fairtrade International and Fair Trade Certified toolkits provide examples of certification programs.

Key Topics

What Should Verifiers Do?

Examples in Action

The Search for Independent Verification in Fashion Supply Chains
Several small start-up companies are attempting to meet consumer demand for reliable information on companie' efforts to address supply chain labor abuses, among others.
Read more about The Search for Independent Verification in Fashion Supply Chains

GoodWeave Certification Program
GoodWeave encourages market demand for child labor-free certified rugs and home textiles and helps businesses meet that demand.
Read more about GoodWeave Certification Program

Better Work Impact Evaluation
A multidisciplinary academic team from Tufts University and the ILO conducted a long-term impact evaluation of the Better Work program from 2009–2015. They evaluated project outcomes beyond the factory or industry level. The study team used the methodology to look at both managers and workers to assess human development and economic development indicators.
Read more about Better Work Impact Evaluation