Benchmarking social upgrading and decent work indicators in a South African sustainable cotton textile and apparel supply chain

Abstract

This research assessed current work conditions relating to social upgrading and decent work indicators in a pilot cotton textile and apparel supply chain in South Africa. There is currently a new cluster development initiative being implemented within South Africa to sustainably develop the cotton and apparel industry, therefore an opportunity was created to benchmark current working conditions for the future determination of social upgrading and decent work. A case study consisting of desktop research and field research including interviews with a total of ten managers, eight workers, and two extension officers, and collection of archival documentation was conducted. Research was conducted throughout the entire supply chain including farms, gins, a spinning mill, a textile mill, and a garment manufacturer. An instrument was created through the compilation of past research on social upgrading and decent work micro/firm indicators and was supplemented with current contextual issues within South Africa, financial indicators, and factors relating to the resource based perspective theory of competitive advantage. Qualitative data were analyzed through the constant comparison method using a deductive coding guide focused on 11 categories of decent work; inductive analysis identified additional themes. This research revealed that there are strong labor laws in place, social security is provided to workers, and worker rights are protected at all nodes of the supply chain although these were not apparent for seasonal workers at smallholder farms. In additional systemic issues, such as discrimination, were more commonly found at the bottom of the supply chain, while financial challenges were present throughout the entire supply chain. This research on the entire supply chain showed the need to focus efforts on the bottom of the supply chain, where the majority of challenges were found and where traditional top down efforts to improve working conditions often fail to reach. This study also allowed for a holistic perspective of social upgrading and decent work to be created and for potential challenges to be highlighted, which will allow for the cluster to develop interventions to become a socially sustainable supply chain.