The garment sector in Bangladesh stands at a crossroads.
The audit system has reached its limits. Across the system, people know something isn’t working - but no one can fix it alone.
Threadneedle Collaboration exists to convene the conversations that can help us collectively imagine and build a future where work is both decent and dignified.
We want to put workers at the centre of improving labour standards in Bangladesh’s garment industry.
The Facts
The garment sector is at high risk of forced labour
Forced labour has become embedded in the global supply chains of the ready-made garment (RMG) sector. Billions of dollars’ worth of garment imports each year have forced labour in their supply chains.
Bangladesh - a global leader
in garment production
Bangladesh is the world's second-largest exporter of ready-made garments. The sector accounts for more than 80% of Bangladesh’s total export earnings, employing 4 million workers directly and supporting up to 40 million indirectly.
Indicators of forced labour
More than 30% of adult RMG workers in Bangladesh earn below minimum wage, 90% report insufficient wages for a decent living, and many experience exhausting hours with underpayment of overtime. Discrimination, abuse and exploitation are systemic.
Subcontracted factories
With brand demands on volume and speed greater than factory capacity, suppliers will subcontract to lower tier factories. These factories are not subject to the same regulations and therefore exhibit especially severe forms of labour exploitation, due to a lack of regulatory oversight and scrutiny from global supply chains.
The existing corporate social responsibility (CSR) audit system has reached its limits.
CSR has not transformed the realities of workers’ lives or addressed the deeper dynamics that keep the system stuck.
Threadneedle Collaboration was formed out of the belief that this is a moment not only to fix what is broken, but to ask a larger question: what kind of industry do we want to help build?
We see the possibility of Bangladesh - together with brands and manufacturers - leading a global shift toward genuinely decent and dignified work; the kind of work people can take pride in creating and sustaining.
No single party can bring that future into being
Real, lasting change will require commitment and collaboration from across the system.
Deep fatigue, mistrust, and uncertainty about what a viable alternative looks like will need to be addressed. Fears of exposure, loss of control, and wasted effort must also be overcome.
That’s why building trust, curiosity, and a sense of co-ownership is so critical before we begin to design detailed solutions.
“What does it take to build genuinely decent and dignified work?”
We are bringing together first-movers across Bangladesh’s garment sector to imagine what a new system could look like and to co-create a future where work is genuinely decent and dignified.
This is not a programme. It is a collaborative, cross system process to imagine and build something better.
We don’t have the answers but are encouraged by important possibilities such as worker-driven models, that we will explore together.
Reasons for hope
Proven Worker-driven Social Responsibility (WSR) models, most notably the Fair Food Programme in the US, show that prioritising workers’ voices can lead to sustained improvements in labour conditions and overall wellbeing. As a model this has been recognised as the 'gold standard' for human rights in supply chains, by Harvard Law, and an 'international benchmark', by UN Special Rapporteur on Human Trafficking.
We think the WSR model shows real promise and is worthy of exploration. We expect that other promising models will also emerge as we engage with curiosity and courageous imagination.
About Us
We are a team of modern slavery experts and advisers intent on addressing the root causes of exploitation in global supply chains.
We work with stakeholders who share a commitment to dignified work, curiosity, and courageous imagination.
Fundamentally we are worker-centred, committed to elevating and centering workers’ voices.
We are thoughtful and evidence-driven, learning from established models and drawing on the expertise of industry specialists and thought-leaders.
We are intrinsically collaborative, bringing together stakeholders who are committed to building a future where work is both decent and dignified.
We are intentionally ambitious, aiming for genuine, lasting systemic change across the sector.
