In 2017 M&S asked Oxfam to carry out a ‘gap analysis’ study to ‘better understand the true worker experience and identify the changes we need to make in our own operations and those of our suppliers’ similar to another undertaken by Oxfam together with Unilever. For Oxfam, the project provided a rare opportunity to hear people’s experience of working in food and footwear factories which supply M&S and other retailers. M&S and Oxfam set …
The value of partnership in boosting ambitious corporate commitments
The need for bold commitment and action from the private sector The private sector – whether global multinationals or local businesses – has a huge impact on livelihoods and living conditions worldwide. But all too often, the actions (or inactions) of private sector actors can reinforce the systems that trap people in poverty. We urgently need fairer business models that …
Collaborating through crisis
How are Oxfam partnering with the private sector to respond to the coronavirus pandemic? We have been getting creative and resourceful in our partnerships with Unilever, Burberry and ASOS.
Which supermarkets are doing the most to protect the rights of food workers?
As the Coronavirus pandemic drives home the importance of the frontline workers producing and supplying our food, Oxfam’s Behind the Barcodes campaign to improve the conditions of people in supermarket supply chains is more relevant than ever. And yet, the 2020 Supermarket Scorecard highlights that no supermarket is doing enough to combat human suffering in those supply chains, despite progress …
Coronavirus is jeopardizing the incomes of small-scale farmers
Why now is the time for companies to step up to their commitment to higher farmer incomes. In this unprecedented time full of uncertainty, two things are clear. First, the Coronavirus pandemic is not only a global health but also an economic crisis. Second, the pandemic disproportionately harms the most vulnerable groups. As a result, up to half a billion …
Three promises Lidl has made to protect its food workers
Supermarkets have become one of the few vital services still functioning during the global Coronavirus pandemic. Supermarket staff deserve great respect for keeping customers safe and supplied with food to sustain us through this unprecedented crisis. But there is another group of frontline food workers doing the same, hidden from view, those who produce the products we are all trying …
Assessing the positive impact of business schools
Creating a positive impact for society has not been considered core to business schools, but demand has steadily increased in the past decade. The Positive Impact Rating responds to these demands. Whilst business schools are usually rated on factors such as alumni salary, employment rate and return on investment of graduates, The Positive Impact Rating (PIR) is a new rating conducted by students, for student. The rating looks beyond contribution …
German supermarkets commit to tackle low wages
Oxfam welcomes the commitment by almost all big German supermarkets to work towards living wages and living incomes for the people who produce the food the retailers sell. Several German retailers, including four of the five biggest supermarkets (Aldi South and North, Kaufland, Lidl and Rewe), published a commitment on 23rd February 2020 aimed at “enabling farming and working families …