The garment industry is the second largest industrial employer of women workers in
Karnataka. Karnataka Labour Department statistic for 2002 show that there were 788 statewide garment manufacturing units, 729 of which were in the city of Bangalore. The industry employed 1,53,978 workers statewide, of whom 1,10,019 were women; while in, the corresponding numbers were 1,46,855 and 1,03,039 respectively. Not only is Bangalore an important India centre

Project goal:
To encourage and enable India’s textile enterprises to have a positive impact on the
people’s quality of life by adopting improved CSR practices.

Objectives:
To have a comprehensive understanding of the labour and environmental concerns in
the garment sector of Bangalore. Develop the capacity of the employers as well as labour unions to reach SA 8000 standards, Form a Multi-stakeholder Steering Group
for developing a collective and coherent response on key social and environmental issues

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Usergroup-Note
User groups, which played such a vital role in the development of the Internet and of software, are a revolutionary and democratic idea that can enhance areas of social existence that were once polarized. User groups suggest partnership, collaboration, teamwork, camaraderie, and synergy, and are the opposite of antagonism,separateness, and rivalry. Prakruthi wishes to introduce the concept of User Groups into the world and ecosystem of Bangalore garment factories as a way of supporting and stimulating groups, companies, and organisations in a new way of solving internal issues.

Objectives:

• Capacity building of members of User groups in Bangalore,key partners in the Fashion Program in India ensuring that in total 6 - 8 professionals can function as facilitators to implement improvements.
• Providing information o`n key criteria contributing to the successful preparation and implementation of User Groups
• Prakruthi will set up one User Group in Bangalore for a group of companies active in the Garment sector.
• To share and promote the methodology of User Groups with other member organisations and other invitees.

Strategies to achieve the objectives:

• Formation of User group
• Capacity Building
• Facilitation process to find solutions in dealing issues
• Inputs and support

The Rajlakshmi Cotton Mills Ltd.
The Rajlakshmi Cotton Mills Ltd. (RCML), Calcutta, has been manufacturing cotton garments since 1995, using only organic cotton. With an annual turnover of Rs.40 crores (US$8 million), it employs about 700 workers and is reputed for its professionalism and its business ethics. 

Prakruthi believes passionately that Fair Trade systems and Corporate Social Responsibility infuse manufactured products with immeasurable value as well as a specific and bountiful harvest which includes better profits and productivity for small producers and manufacturers, better wages for workers, and relief and protection for the environment.

Objective:
Support RCML in Corporate Social Responsibility practices and enable it to achieve SA-8000 certification.
Achievements and outcomes:
Prakruthi’s energetic guidance, and with active cooperation of the management and the workers, all the planned goals were achieved, and in May 2008, the company received the SA-8000 Certificate.

• Workers now receive minimum wages or above, along with health insurance.
• Overtime wages paid or compensatory time given for extra work.
• Freedom of Association and collective bargaining is allowed. Workers representatives regularly meet with the management.
• No discrimination among workers on the grounds of race, colour, sex, age, religion, national origin, disability

• No verbal, physical, or emotional harassment of workers due to their race, colour, sex, age, religion, etc.

 PRAKRUTHI –RCML Apparel Training Centre
The Rajlakshmi Cotton Mills Pvt. Ltd, Kolkatta

Worker absenteeism and frequent turnover pose major problems for RCML, and the root cause is the shortage of skilled and trained labour. In turn the low-skilled or unskilled workers and their families suffer insecurity, unemployment, and destitution.

What the workers need is to be well-trained in textile manufacturing, which in turn will enhance the quality and quantity of production, while ideal workplace standards of safety will increase worker security and welfare. 

Therefore, we plan to have the Apparel Training and Design Centre (sponsored by Apparel Export Promotion Council) upgrade workers’ technical skills of the human resource employed in Garment industry, while the company also volunteers to provide training in this centre. Prakruthi, which is helping RCML to get SA-8000 certification, is also developing its Corporate Social Responsibility policy, while training workers in workplace standards including safety.

Objectives:

• To create a pool of technically and socially sound workforce drawn from people living below poverty line in West Bengal through sustainable process and provide employment
• To involve the business in such a way that the volunteering spirit of the employees is reinforced.
• Newly learned technical skills will help the marginalized sections of people to be gainfully employed and come out of poverty.
  
  Activities:
• Set up a training centre in the premises of Rajlakshmi cotton mills Pvt. Ltd., Kolkata
• Identify people from poor families for undergoing training.
• Procure tables, chairs, sewing machines and other accessories for practical training
• Arrange Faculty for the Training centre
• Prepare curriculum, training modules, community development training kit and overall course guidelines.
  
  Achievements:
• The training centre Building has been constructed and furnished.
  
• Trainees have been selected, and faculty from the Apparel Training and Design Centre have been arranged.
  
• We have prepared curriculum, training modules, community development training kits and overall course guidelines.
• The Training Centre is fully functional; and will be formally opened on 14th September 2009.

Star Fashion, Kathmandu, Nepal

Star fashion which is 18 years old and has 300 employees, fashions clothing from organic cotton and other environmental friendly fibres such as bamboo, hemp, Ramie, Soya etc. More than 200,000 garments are exported to Europe and the USA. The management is eager to join the new ethos of Corporate Social Responsibility. Prakruthi has drawn up a plan to get the factory SA-8000 Certified.

Outcome:
The management of Star Fashion has understood the benefits of SA 8000 certification for the factory and its impact on worker morale.  Our intervention persuaded them to take a more positive attitude towards Corporate Social Responsibility.

PRAKRUTHI ENABLES KNITWEAR SUPPLIERS

The synergy that is released when stakeholders in a particular industry get together for the common good is beautifully illustrated by this project. While its main goal was to enable the Made-by knitwear supply chain to build a flagship chain of suppliers from India for optimal achievement of fair trade objectives, it had some very useful secondary outcomes as well. This was a specific project to cater only to cutting, making, trimming (CMT) units.
Four phases of this multi-phase project have been completed by another NGO, but from 1st September 2008, Prakruthi has taken over as the Secretariat of Steering Group (SG).

Objectives:

• To provide consultancy throughout the SA 8000 audit process
• To facilitate the Tirupur SG in understanding and using the complaint filing mechanism within SA 8000 process.
• Continue building the capacity of workers in the SA 8000 certified factories on SA 8000 standard along with experts and Steering Group members
• To promote corporate community investment programmes in the Tirupur region in association with the steering group

Outcome:

• A civil-society-driven approach was used by involving Trade Unions and other NGOs.
• The beneficiaries realised the importance of SA 8000 certification and thoroughly understood the purpose of audit as not merely a fault-finding process, but as a social approach with corrective measures for workers welfare.
• All parties acknowledge that the SA-8000 has brought in a cordial relationship amongst various stakeholders including the NGOs and Trade Unions
• The social audit process opened a direct and non-confrontational communication between Trade unions and company owners.
  
• The modesty and wisdom amply illustrated by TSG’s participation in the social audit has earned the respect of company owners for Trade Unions. The company's brand image and value have risen.