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Network Clothing is one of the leading manufacturers of handmade crochet and knitwear garments. Since 1994, the company has supplied leading UK and international retailers. Network Clothing has a network of around 3,000 home workers within its supply chain, around 1,000 of whom are active at any given time. Most of the home workers are based in and around Shantou, Guangdong.

Brands and retailers are increasingly demanding greater visibility over homeworking within global supply chains.    Network Clothing identified the need to gain a better understanding of the role that homeworkers play within its supply chain to mitigate any associated risk to the business.

Network Clothing commissioned Impactt to:

• Map its supply chain in Shantou and track how product is moved from factory to home worker.
• Understand who is working in their supply chains and under what conditions.
• Gauge the impact of homeworking on the workers’ lives, families and communities.
• Identify existing problems and areas that could be improved.
• Understand and develop any necessary control measures to protect home workers.

Impactt mapped Network Clothing’s supply chain and identified two communities of homeworkers who were significantly affected by Network Clothing’s operations.  In-depth community assessments were conducted to understand homeworkers’ situation and socio-economic circumstances. Particular focus was applied to:

• Establishing their level of take-home pay and what this can procure.
• Identifying the benefits which this work brings them and their families.
• Understanding what other options are open to these workers and why they choose this work.
• Understanding the concerns they have about the work.

The community assessments utilised a participatory worker-centred approach to provide a real insight into the situation of the homeworkers. The outputs from this research helped Network Clothing begin to make meaningful improvements in the working conditions and the socio-economic situation of homeworkers.

Whilst issues exist in this supply chain, it was clear that homework provides significant benefit to workers, in particular where workers have few other options to earn money.  In many cases, crocheting skills have been passed from generation to generation and provide valuable income to families and communities which may otherwise be solely reliant on agriculture or remittances.   Workers spoke positively about their work and the benefits it brings.