Who we are
At Fair Wear Foundation, we work to create a garment industry that is fair for everyone.
Fair Wear Foundation (FWF) is a non-profit organisation that works with garment brands, factories, trade unions, NGOs and governments to improve working conditions for garment workers in 11 production countries across Asia, Europe and Africa.
Our 130 member brands are showing that there is a fairer way to make clothes. They are using their influence to create change. Together, we’re tackling problems that others think are unsolvable. But we also want to create change beyond our members’ supply chains. That’s why we’re also sharing replicable solutions with the rest of the industry. We provide evidence to other brands and industry influencers of what a fairer garment industry could look like.
Together we’re creating a new normal for the garment industry. Click here to learn more about what it means to be an FWF brand.
Key values and beliefs:
Step by step
We collaborate with brands that are determined to find a fairer way to make their clothes. We understand that change doesn’t happen overnight. Progress starts with identifying problems, which is why we require our brands to continuously monitor conditions and support improvements.
That’s a lot to tackle, especially for some companies that are just starting out in their corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts. We meet brands where they are. Whether a CSR leader or newcomer, any brand can begin their journey with FWF and take the practical steps to improve working conditions. This step-by-step process leads to real and lasting changes.
Verification
How can you make sure that the brands you are wearing are truly and currently committed to making fashion fair for everyone? Claims about ethical practices usually only gain credibility when verified by a third party. This is where we come in. Our multi-stakeholder make-up means that our organisation is independent and credible. In order to gain real insight into our member brands’ performance, we conduct checks at three levels: We audit factories, and our own members to figure out how they work towards better labour conditions. And we openly share this with the public too. Finally, we have complaints helplines for workers in all countries where we’re active. Members need to be completely transparent about these complaints.
Collaborative
Transforming working conditions for people in the garment industry is an ambitious goal, and we can’t achieve it alone. We bring different players together at every level —from boardroom decisions to workplace assessments— so that brands, consumers, business associations, trade union, governments and NGOs all have a voice. Everyone has an important role to play. By combining our efforts, we can push for unified change across the board.
Transparency
It takes courage to put your brand’s activities out under the public eye, but we feel transparency is the only way forward if we want the garment industry to improve.
Working in a transparent way is a challenge for garment and textile companies, especially for those brands who consider their competitive advantage to lie within their unique supply chain decisions, such as where they are placing orders, prices paid, forecasting, etc. It goes without saying that transparency can often be the most difficult FWF requirement for member brands to follow.
FWF members need to be open about what’s worked and what hasn’t worked for them. And we publicly report about that on our website. They’re also open about complaints received in the factories. There aren’t yet any 100% fair supply chains in this industry. So, we’re not perfect, but we’re an excellent alternative.
