New glove alliance to focus on rights of Malaysian glove workers

New glove alliance to focus on rights of Malaysian glove workers

Newly-formed Responsible Glove Alliance (RGA) has been launched to help ensure the rights and dignity of workers vulnerable to forced labour in Malaysia’s rubber glove industry are consistently respected and promoted through responsible recruitment and employment practices. Currently, there are seven members in the alliance.

RGA member companies at launch include:

  • Ansell Limited
  • Cardinal Health
  • Hartalega Holdings Berhad
  • Henry Schein, Inc.
  • Kimberly-Clark Corporation
  • Kossan Rubber Industries Berhad
  • Medline Industries, LP.

Malaysia is the world’s largest producer of rubber gloves, and the industry relies heavily on foreign migrant labour. The RGA will work to prevent, identify and remediate forced labour through recruitment transformation, collective influence and the application of due diligence with advanced standards, tools and programs.

Membership in the RGA includes buyers and suppliers of rubber gloves from Malaysia that agree to strict membership requirements and commitments. All RGA members commit to core principles including enforcing the Freely Chosen Employment and other relevant provisions of the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) Code of Conduct; undertaking continuous improvement measures, such as verified risk assessments, advanced forced labour audits and corrective actions; cascading these commitments within their supply chains; and fostering transparency and accountability through public reporting and disclosure. Buyers have an additional set of requirements specific to their business types, as do suppliers.

As Secretariat, the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) will support the RGA with strategic oversight and direction, as well as operational and administrative capabilities. ELEVATE will act as a key service provider during the initial phases of the program.

“What began as individual company efforts on responsible business conduct in Malaysia has evolved into a coalition of like-minded member companies dedicated to advancing corporate responsibility in their supply chains,” said Rob Lederer, CEO of the Responsible Business Alliance. “We look forward to working with RGA member companies, providing RBA tools and resources that will enable them to have a meaningful, positive impact on workers in their industry.”

“We recognise that many labour rights challenges, particularly those facing the medical products and medical use glove industry, cannot be solved by any one company working alone,” said Neil Salmon, Managing Director and CEO at Ansell. “Therefore, Ansell is pleased to be a founding member of this new organisation that will bring an aligned cross-industry focus to this pressing issue. We are confident that the shared ambitions and collective approach of the RGA and its members will bring significant improvement to conditions for workers in the glove industry supply chain.”