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Dignity factory workers producing shirts for overseas clients, in Accra, Ghana

Cooling Before It Got Cool: Case Studies in Heat Adaptation in Southeast Asian Factories

Heat Adaptation in Apparel Factories

A new examination of how apparel factories are adapting to extreme heat while investing in cooling, automation, and climate resilience strategies.

A thermal image of a worker at a station in a garment factory, showing the high heat levels through brighter orange colors at their workstation.
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The Dindigul Agreement to End Gender-based Violence and Harassment

Has It Worked?

This is GLI’s official final assessment of the Dindigul Agreement to End Gender-Based Violence and Harassment at a South Indian apparel factory that could be a model for other factories around the world. 

Large room of garment factory workers
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Global Labor Institute's Climate-Labor Work

GLI Climate-Labor Research

See all of our analyses on the intersection of labor rights and climate change.

GLI climate workers webinar
Read GLI's Climate-Labor Work

Measuring Supply Chain Due Diligence

Labor Outcomes Metrics

Read about the Global Labor Institute's new quantitative metrics that measure labor outcomes—actual impacts for workers.

Workers in Bangladesh
Read more about Measuring Supply Chain Due Diligence

Latest Research and Events

NCP at OECD: Is Social Dialogue Part of Fashion's Post-COVID Cure?

NCP and the Strategic Partnership for Garment Supply Chain Transformation led a session sharing NCP's mapping of social dialogue in response to the COVID-19 pandemic at the 2021 OECD Due Diligence Forum.
Logo of the OECD. A globe followed by the letters O E C D.
NCP at OECD: Is Social Dialogue Part of Fashion's Post-COVID Cure?

What Makes a Decent Factory?

Until recently, there has been a lack of data that allowed researchers to distinguish between highly compliant factories and non-compliant ones.
factory workers
What Makes a Decent Factory?

NCP Event: How do we fix trade policy to help workers?

What has to change in U.S. trade policy to improve labor practices in global supply chains? Join the Cornell ILR School's New Conversations Project and Sandra Polaski, Senior Research Scholar at Boston University’s Global Development Policy Center, on 19 January 2021. 
Cargo ship in the ocean with several containers.
NCP Event: How do we fix trade policy to help workers?

COVID-19 and the Garment Industry Brief

The New Conversations Project has published a new research brief with the ILO assessing the impact of COVID-19 on the apparel industry in Asia and the Pacific.
Female garment workers wearing masks.
COVID-19 and the Garment Industry Brief

Published Papers on Labor Practices in Global Supply Chains

ILR Review published special issue devoted to research findings on sustainable labor practices in global supply chains.
ILR Review cover
Published Papers on Labor Practices in Global Supply Chains

Webinar: How do we resolve labor disputes under global supply chain agreements?

NCP leads webinar on a new proposal for model arbitration provisions in enforceable brand agreements between labor advocates and global firms.
Crowd of striking workers outside a garment factory speaking with a manager
Webinar: How do we resolve labor disputes under global supply chain agreements?

In The News

Media Mentions

Advancing adaptation in Southeast Asia

McKinsey & Company
A 2026 report from ILR’s Global Labor Institute, “Cooling Before It Got Cool: Case Studies in Heat Adaptation in Southeast Asian Factories,” is cited in this article about climate change in Southeast Asia.
Advancing adaptation in Southeast Asia

What Fashion Needs to Know About Climate Tipping Points

Vogue
Research from ILR’s Global Labor Institute says that without basic climate adaptation measures, extreme heat and humidity could significantly disrupt garment production, and cost key manufacturing countries several percentage points of GDP.
What Fashion Needs to Know About Climate Tipping Points

AAFA Releases Heat Stress Guidance to Protect Garment Workers

Yahoo News
Binding agreements, near-term collection of heat-stress data and collaboration over enforcement could make new heat stress guidance from the American Apparel & Footwear Association even more effective at helping garment industry workers cope with heat, says Jason Judd, executive director of ILR’s Global Labor Institute. [Syndicated from Sourcing Journal]
AAFA Releases Heat Stress Guidance to Protect Garment Workers

Progress Over Perfection: Lessons From Garment Factories Fighting Heat Stress

Yahoo News
“The factories that have invested proactively are seeing an ROI beyond straight-up ‘we’re more productive,’” said Sarah Krasley, visiting fellow at ILR’s Global Labor Institute, sharing observations from a recent research trip to Cambodia and Vietnam of garment industry cooling methods for hot weather. [Syndicated from Sourcing Journal]
Progress Over Perfection: Lessons From Garment Factories Fighting Heat Stress

Nike Is Moving Jobs to Low-Wage Regions of Indonesia

Pro Publica
Jason Judd, executive director of ILR’s Global Labor Institute, criticizes Nike’s living wage pledge for falling short on achieving a living wage for workers.
Nike Is Moving Jobs to Low-Wage Regions of Indonesia

2026 Will Be ‘Stress Test’ Year for Garment Worker Rights

Yahoo News
Sarosh Kuruvilla, ILR professor and academic director of the Global Labor Institute, comments on how recent increases in U.S. tariffs have affected progress in improving labor rights for workers. [Syndicated from Sourcing Journal]
2026 Will Be ‘Stress Test’ Year for Garment Worker Rights