We’ve partnered with the International Center for Research on Women to develop a resource hub to measure gender equity in the footwear, apparel and textile manufacturing sector. It allows factories that are interested in advancing gender equitable policies to identify strengths and areas of improvement, and then provides examples of best practices to help them reach their goals.
How it works: Each year, our suppliers will use a self-diagnostic tool to assess various aspects of gender equity — such as factories’ policies and processes, support for working parents and recruitment and hiring practices — and gain a comprehensive understanding of their strengths and areas of opportunity for enhancing gender equity. We will then provide support to help them address low-scoring areas and develop a long-term action plan to advance gender equity within their organization. We encourage our factories to first focus on developing sustainable gender equitable practices and policies. We also look to support factories in improving the lines of communication between workers and management (by aligning with our Engagement and Wellbeing work and encouraging them to adopt new communication technologies and platforms) so they can get a more accurate report of how effective the implementation of these practices and policies actually is.