Monday, 25 February 2019: BIG W cares about the rights and lives of the workers in Bangladesh. Oxfam’s research report, Made in Poverty: The true price of fashion, brings to light the challenges that we have already begun addressing. 

BIG W is committed to improving the lives of workers in Bangladesh and has been working collaboratively with our suppliers and global organisations to achieve this, however, we know we still have more work to do.

In July 2018, we re-launched our Responsible Sourcing Program, including the release of our revised Responsible Sourcing Standards.  This program aligns with international standards and best practices, which also address many of the claims in the Oxfam research.

We have already begun to see the improvements as a result of the revised program at the factory level. We recognise our role as a responsible retailer and will continue to work hard to make further improvements in this space.

BIG W has committed to complete and report on the following actions by October 2019: 

1. Equip all our own brand suppliers (including Bangladesh) with the new Responsible Sourcing Standards, including guidance on developing effective grievance processes. 
2. Expand the Woolworths Group Speak Up service (supporting workers with the ability to voice concerns or grievances when needed) to all of our suppliers and their workers.
3. Conduct eLearning training in 100% of our Bangladesh supplier sites on how to manage worker feedback.
4. Conduct training for all BIG W commercial teams on Responsible Purchasing Practices. 

For more information, see BIG W’s detailed response here.