As a public-private partnership (PPP) project, WE is based on close collaboration between the public and corporate sector. By pooling experiences and strengths, the project partners GTZ and Tchibo intend to create synergies - and in doing so, also contribute towards international development goals.
The project partners
- The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ): The BMZ is the GTZ’s main client, and initiated the Programme for Development Partnerships with the private sector (PPP) in 1999. As part of this, projects are supported which serve development as well as commercial objectives. Providing financial support to projects on social standards aims at fighting poverty as well as raising the competitiveness of companies in developing and emerging countries. Furthermore, one of the BMZ’s core aims is to contribute towards ensuring human rights and towards shaping globalisation in a social manner.
- The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH (German Technical Cooperation) GTZ is a federal enterprise founded as a company under private law. It supports the German government in achieving its development policy objectives. On behalf of BMZ, GTZ realises projects in the areas of private sector development, health promotion, education, good governance, environmental protection and rural development. It provides viable, forward-looking solutions for political, economic, ecological and social development in a globalised world, GTZ promotes complex reform and change processes. Its corporate objective is to improve people´s living conditions on a sustainable basis. Its main client is BMZ. GTZ also operates on behalf of other German ministries, the governments of other countries and international clients, such as the EU and UN as well as on behalf of private enterprises. GTZ has a long-standing, recognised level of expert knowledge regarding social standards. In terms of the WE project, GTZ contributes its networks with governments NGOs, trade unions and the private-sector in the project countries.
- Tchibo GmbH: Tchibo is one of Germany’s biggest international consumer goods and retail companies. The company sources around 80% of its non food products from Asia. Through the project, Tchibo hopes to supplement its existing efforts regarding the training of its suppliers on social standards with effective participatory methods involving both managers and workers from production facilities. In doing so, a key aim for the company is to guide strategically important suppliers towards SA8000, the leading standard as defined by Tchibo. Through WE, the company also obtains transparency over the impact which decision making in the buying process has on working conditions in the factories, and how negative effects can be mitigated.
Division of responsibilities and financing
Tchibo is responsible for the collaboration with the international coaches and for public relations. Furthermore, Tchibo has recruited forty production facilities for the pilot project and is supporting the project through its Buying and Corporate Responsibility departments.
GTZ is responsible for the collaboration with the 18 local trainers and has commissioned the compilation of the training material. It also ensures the logistical implementation of the project activities in Bangladesh, China and Thailand, as well as the concluding impact analysis of the project.
The following graphic illustrates just how the GTZ and Tchibo are cooperating in the WE-project:
The WE project has a total budget of €2.6 million. Tchibo finances around 55% of the costs, with the remaining 45% being contributed by GTZ on behalf of BMZ.
Further project partners
GTZ and Tchibo have secured the support of the following partners for the WE project:
- Suppliers: Forty of Tchibo’s suppliers from Bangladesh, China and Thailand have joined WE. Both managers as well as workers are actively involved in the project. They manufacture non-food articles, in particular textiles, jewellery, wooden, metal and leather goods.
- Importers: Tchibo isn’t always the direct business partner of the participating production facilities. With regard to certain – very specialised – products, the company works together with importers. Importers’ representatives are involved in WE by participating in individual workshops and factory visits to ‘their’ WE manufacturers.
- Local trainers: The project trains local trainers who subsequently conduct social standard training and also initiate and moderate dialogue processes between managers and workers. The intention is for them to also offer this training approach to other interested companies and organisations once the pilot project is completed. The Trainer database on this website provides an overview of the training providers taking part and the services they offer.
- International Coaches: Two international service providers – Sustainability Agents and Neosys AG – are implementing the WE training programme and contributing towards the project’s success with their expert knowledge. Both are specialists when it comes to implementing social standards in developing and emerging countries. They have developed the training materials, are qualifying the local trainers and are supporting them in training the manufacturers. Jointly with the local trainers they are responsible for documenting the project activities. Further information is available in our Trainer Database.
- Civil society: Representatives of workers at the production facilities and other local interest groups are also included in the project. The local trainers often belong to local non-governmental organisations. Through involving organisations with close ties to workers, it is ensured that workers' concerns are incorporated into problem solving at the workplace.
- Local governmental organisations: dialogue is also conducted with governmental organisations as part of WE, in particular on topics such as wage levels that ensure a decent standard of living as well as freedom of association.
