KnowTheChain | Benchmarks

KnowTheChain Benchmarks

Benchmarks help identify and share leading practices, enabling companies to improve their standards and procedures. The KnowTheChain benchmarks aim to help companies protect the wellbeing of workers by incentivizing companies and identifying gaps in each sector evaluated. KnowTheChain published its first set of benchmarks in 2016, and the second set, covering more than 120 companies, in 2018.

INFORMATION & COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY

The 2018 benchmark covers 40 companies, including 20 headquartered in the US (e.g. Apple and Microsoft), 14 in Asia (e.g. Foxconn and Canon) and six in Europe (e.g. ASML Holding and Ericsson).

2018 Benchmark

FOOD & BEVERAGE

The 2018 benchmark covers 38 companies including four Asian companies, two Australian companies, ten European companies, one Middle Eastern company, 18 North American companies, and three Latin American companies.

2018 Benchmark

APPAREL & FOOTWEAR

The 2018 benchmark covers 43 companies, including one African company, 12 Asian companies, 14 European companies, and 16 North American companies.

2018 Benchmark

2018 Information & Communications Technology

2018 Food & Beverage

2018 Apparel & Footwear

Overall Score 2016 Information & Communications Technology

Key Findings

2016 Information & Communications Technology

Overall Score

39/100

An evaluation of ICT companies' efforts to protect workers in their supply chains from forced labor.

Worker Voice

ICT companies are taking little action to ensure workers have a voice throughout their supply chain.

Worker Voice

ICT companies are taking little action to ensure workers have a voice throughout their supply chain.

Traceability & Risk Assessment

ICT companies are taking steps to trace their supply chains beyond first-tier suppliers.

Traceability & Risk Assessment

ICT companies are taking steps to trace their supply chains beyond first-tier suppliers.

Recruitment

While some firms have leading policies on recruitment fees, more action is needed across the sector.

Recruitment

While some firms have leading policies on recruitment fees, more action is needed across the sector.

Overall Score 2016 Food & Beverage

Key Findings

2016 Food & Beverage

Overall Score

31/100

An evaluation of Food & Beverage companies' efforts to protect workers in their supply chains from forced labor.

Recruitment

Action needed to protect migrant and seasonal agriculture workers during recruitment.

Recruitment

Action needed to protect migrant and seasonal agriculture workers during recruitment.

Traceability

Companies have started to trace commodities, but efforts are limited in scope.

Traceability

Companies have started to trace commodities, but efforts are limited in scope.

Purchasing Practices

Integration of labor standards needs to be accompanied by efforts to reward suppliers with strong labor practices.

Purchasing Practices

Integration of labor standards needs to be accompanied by efforts to reward suppliers with strong labor practices.

Overall Score 2016 Apparel & Footwear

Key Findings

2016 Apparel & Footwear

Overall Score

46/100

An evaluation of Apparel and Footwear companies' efforts to protect workers in their supply chains from forced labor.

Recruitment

Action needed to protect workers during recruitment process.

Recruitment

Action needed to protect workers during recruitment process.

Worker Voice

Apparel companies taking little action to ensure workers have a voice throughout their supply chain.

Worker Voice

Apparel companies taking little action to ensure workers have a voice throughout their supply chain.

Remedy

Greater commitment needed by apparel companies to address and remediate abuses.

Remedy

Greater commitment needed by apparel companies to address and remediate abuses.

Overall Score 2018 Information & Communications Technology

Key Findings

2018 Information & Communications Technology

Overall Score

32/100

An evaluation of ICT companies' efforts to protect workers in their supply chains from forced labor.

Worker Voice

ICT companies are not doing enough to ensure workers have a voice throughout their supply chains.

Worker Voice

ICT companies are not doing enough to ensure workers have a voice throughout their supply chains.

Recruitment

Some ICT have leading policies on recruitment fees, but more action is needed across the sector.

Recruitment

Some ICT have leading policies on recruitment fees, but more action is needed across the sector.

Commitment

The majority have commitments to address forced labor, yet there is a disconnect between the policies and effective implementation of these policies.

Commitment

The majority have commitments to address forced labor, yet there is a disconnect between the policies and effective implementation of these policies.

Overall Score 2018 Food & Beverage

Key Findings

2018 Food & Beverage

Overall Score

30/100

An evaluation of Food & Beverage companies' efforts to protect workers in their supply chains from forced labor.

Recruitment

Companies are not doing enough to monitor and address risks related to exploitation of workers through recruitment agencies used by their suppliers.

Recruitment

Companies are not doing enough to monitor and address risks related to exploitation of workers through recruitment agencies used by their suppliers.

Commitment

The majority of companies disclose commitments to address forced labor; however, only 13 out of 38 companies report that they deliver training on forced labor to their suppliers.

Commitment

The majority of companies disclose commitments to address forced labor; however, only 13 out of 38 companies report that they deliver training on forced labor to their suppliers.

Worker Voice

The average company takes little or no action to engage with and empower workers in its supply chains to ensure they are able to understand and enforce their rights.

Worker Voice

The average company takes little or no action to engage with and empower workers in its supply chains to ensure they are able to understand and enforce their rights.

Overall Score 2018 Apparel & Footwear

Key Findings

2018 Apparel & Footwear

Overall Score

37/100

An evaluation of Apparel and Footwear companies' efforts to protect workers in their supply chains from forced labor.

Recruitment

Companies are not doing enough to support responsible recruitment practices, including the prevention of worker-paid recruitment fees in their supply chains.

Recruitment

Companies are not doing enough to support responsible recruitment practices, including the prevention of worker-paid recruitment fees in their supply chains.

Commitment

Most companies disclose a supply chain standard that addresses forced labor; however, there is less disclosure on how companies engage with local stakeholders on the issue of forced labor.

Commitment

Most companies disclose a supply chain standard that addresses forced labor; however, there is less disclosure on how companies engage with local stakeholders on the issue of forced labor.

Worker Voice

The average company discloses limited efforts to engage with and empower workers in its supply chains to ensure they are able to understand and enforce their rights.

Worker Voice

The average company discloses limited efforts to engage with and empower workers in its supply chains to ensure they are able to understand and enforce their rights.

The comparison tool can be used to compare benchmarked companies, and to assess the benchmark results in greater detail. The benchmark methodology's seven themes were selected to capture the key areas where companies need to take action to eradicate forced labor from their supply chains: commitment and governance; traceability and risk assessment; purchasing practices; recruitment; worker voice; monitoring; and remedy. These seven themes have a total of 23 indicators. For each theme a company can score a total of 100 points.

SEE 2018 A&F SCORES

Industries and companies can be selected using the interactive navigation panel
A quick view of how a company scored in each theme is shown before the full company profile is accessed
The results can be filtered by theme or by quartile
The interactive chart can be used to see how a company ranks against other companies

why benchmarking?

KnowTheChain believes that benchmarks can play a powerful role in encouraging companies to uphold labor standards and protect workers’ rights. They can harness the competitive nature of markets to drive a “race to the top” by creating brand reward for leaders and brand risk for laggards. More importantly, they give companies and investors examples of good practices, the information necessary to understand performance, and a path forward.

Existing benchmarks such as the Access to Medicine Index for the pharmaceutical sector, the Corporate Human Rights Benchmark on human rights issues, and Ranking Digital Rights for ICT, have demonstrated how this approach can drive tangible improvements in companies’ policy and practice.

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