The Homeworkers Worldwide (HWW) non-profit organisation working for homeworkers has published a study which says that there are 5 million homeworkers working in textile and apparel supply chains in India alone, with 3.5 million of them in the value chains of global brands. The homeworkers face some of the worst conditions in global textile and apparel supply chains, yet remain invisible to many of the brands whose products they help to produce. The report is part of the Hidden Homeworkers initiative, a four-year programme led by the Traidcraft Exchange charity, alongside HWW, Indian workers’ rights NGO Cividep and the HomeNet South Asia network, which is co-funded by the European Union (EU). The greatest barrier to transparency is the cycle of denial and concealment which keeps homeworking hidden. Getting brands to recognise that there may be homeworking in their chains, and to include homeworkers in their implementation rather than excluding them is the first step in breaking the cycle. The study identifies several areas where existing tools could be updated to encompass innovations and advances in practice, and areas where new tools could be helpful. The report also highlights that a small but growing number of leading fashion and footwear brands, four of which contributed to this study, have significantly improved both transparency and working conditions for homeworkers within their chains.
