Ethical trade means that retailers, brands and their suppliers take responsibility for improving the working conditions of the people who make the products they sell. 

Most of these workers are employed by supplier companies around the world, many of them based in poor countries where laws designed to protect workers' rights are inadequate or not enforced. 

Companies with a commitment to ethical trade adopt a code of labour practice that they expect all their suppliers to work towards. Such codes address issues like wages, hours of work, health and safety and the right to join free trade unions.

What we do

The aim of Oxfam's Ethical Trade team is to positively influence and support companies to implement ethical trade. We do this through a number of different ways including:

• Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI): 

   Co-founded by Oxfam in 1998, the ETI is a multi-stakeholder institution where trade unions, companies and NGOs have an equal say.  It exists to improve working conditions in global supply chains by developing effective approaches to implementing the ETI Base Code of labour practice. We participate in the NGO caucus as well as at board level. 
  For more information please visit: www.ethicaltrade.org

• Workshops

  : Our workshops help MBA students to  develop awareness of ethical sourcing issues in global supply chains and an understanding of the challenges for business in addressing them.

• Oxfam's Ethical Trade Advice Service

  : A bespoke, confidential service to help companies get an accurate picture of conditions in their supply chain and to tackle problems effectively, including child and forced labour.

• Advocacy:

  When we hear about problems in particular supply chains, we use our influence to talk to and work with companies involved to try to improve conditions.