Lindex launches gender equality initiative

Fashion retailer Lindex has launched the “We Women by Lindex” project to take action for gender equality in the supply chain, with the aim to create more equal and inclusive workplaces.

The project, part of Lindex’s ambition to improve the lives of women in the fashion company’s global supply chain, will ensure that the retailer works to integrate gender equality into supplier management systems. This will mean that suppliers will receive training and support needed to plan, execute, and evaluate business operations from a gender equal perspective. The performance on gender equality will also be included in Lindex’s assessment of the suppliers.

“It’s the women that keep our business moving at Lindex. The majority of the textile workers who make our clothes are women and we are committed to improving their lives,” explains Anna-Karin Dahlberg, production sustainability manager at Lindex. “For many years we have worked to drive change in our supply chain through worker engagement and training. Now we will add a top-to-bottom approach, where we work to change the leadership and management style in factories to become more inclusive for women and aware of gender equality issues.”

The “We Women by Lindex” is a three-year projected developed in partnership with Giz, and in cooperation with BSR and local non-governmental organisations. It will start with 33 of Lindex suppliers in Bangladesh, and will also include 10 non-Lindex suppliers in order to promote the concept to the industry in Bangladesh.

The suppliers included in the project employ around 82,000 workers, of which more than 50 percent are women. The hope is that the scale of the project can one day include the entire Lindex supply chain.

Image: courtesy of Lindex