Consumer Products Industry

Supply Chain

BSR provides counsel to companies on the full spectrum of supply chain issues including strategy and policy development, risk assessment, audit and verification processes, and management systems. BSR also conducts internal staff trainings and supplier workshops on a wide range of supply chain issues.

• BSR has worked closely with and conducted trainings for several dozen companies in the sector to help them manage risk and systematize their supply chain through code of conduct development, compliance processes, and verification systems.
• BSR has undertaken several long-term engagements with leading apparel and consumer product companies to help them address critical industry issues and satisfy stakeholder demands in areas such as labor rights, discrimination, living wage, migrant and worker education, and country-specific challenges in Asia and Latin America.
• BSR's Labor Law Database provides detailed reports on comprehensive labor laws in more than 60 countries in areas such as child labor, minimum wage rates, health and safety, and working hours.

CSR Strategy and Structure

BSR helps companies better define and integrate CSR into their business strategies, and develop structures that drive CSR performance through the organization.

• BSR has provided strategic counsel to several industry leaders on issues including CSR goal setting, policy development, and structural options to help these companies find ways to effectively integrate CSR throughout their business operations.
• BSR has assisted numerous companies in the sector with the development and refinement of policies and verification processes in areas such as HIV/AIDS, discrimination, migrant labor, living wage, and others.

Working Groups and Convenings

BSR leads and facilitates a diverse range of gatherings to help companies share critical information about issues and trends, develop and/or respond to new standards, and collaborate to address common challenges.

• BSR serves as the convener of the Labor Standards Working Group. Compromised of approximately 50 representatives from footwear and apparel companies, the Group has been meeting for the last eight years, three to four times annually to discuss emerging industry issues and challenges, and share solutions and best practices in a confidential environment.
• BSR leads a range working of groups for consumer products companies to help them address specific CSR and business challenges. These include: 1) Apparel Water Quality addressing water quality issues in apparel production; 2) Clean Cargo and Green Freight addressing issues related to the transportation of consumer goods; and 3) Restricted Substances addressing chemical and preservative use in apparel production; and 4) the China -- Hong Kong Buyer's Compliance Group for local sourcing representatives.