Fostering Company Collaboration

Project

In Vietnam, three companies that compete in the consumer marketplace are supporting HERproject in a shared factory to further progress for women. In the factory near Ho Chi Minh City, representatives from Clarks, Columbia Sportswear, and Timberland work together with factory management and local HERproject partner Life Centre to implement a factory-based training program and ROI study.

Benefits

COMPANY COLLABORATION

Active participation by local staff of the three participating companies enhanced program implementation, trust-building, problem-solving, and recognition of worker and factory accomplishments. The three brands worked as a team to show support to the factory’s top and middle management to make necessary accommodations for worker participation. For example, when companies were trying to plan the training of the peer educators, Jasmine Tri of Timberland explained, the factory was having trouble finding time to hold the training during the peak production months in summer. Together with HERproject partner Life Centre, Tri and the other brand representatives worked with production supervisors and peer educators to develop a schedule to meet the needs of the factory and the program.

INCREASED FACTORY COMMITMENT

The participation of multiple brands increased the commitment of the factory. If only one brand was funding the project, it would likely be limited to workers dedicated to that brand’s products, and in a large factory, the brand would have limited purchasing power among the factory’s overall clientele. The participation of three of the factories’ major clients allowed activities to target all of the factory’s 6,000 workers and helped ensure ongoing success for the program.

SHARED RESPONSIBILITIES AND RESOURCES

Sharing responsibilities among the three brands helped save time and resources in overseeing the program, said Ahn Pham of Columbia Sportswear. Tracey Nguyen of Clarks said the close collaboration with her peers at Columbia and Timberland gave an added bonus of professional development opportunities and cross-learning about supplier monitoring and relationship building.

WORKER PARTICIPATION

Their collaborative efforts have produced a highly effective program. Pham participated in a festival at the factory to talk about health and celebrate the accomplishments of HERproject and other initiatives. “I had many workers approach me to express how much they enjoyed the HERproject in the factory,” Pham said. “One worker named Lan told me that she noticed my feet were swelling due to my pregnancy. She then advised me to go the hospital, as this might be an indication of high blood pressure during pregnancy.” Lan had learned to spot the symptom from the peer educator in her working station.

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