Supply chains
Implementation of the Factory Improvement Toolset in the Asian garment sector: Final report
This final report reviews the results of the pilot implementation of Factory Improvement Toolset (FIT) across 27 factories located in Cambodia, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
The Factory Improvement Toolset (FIT) was developed by the ILO under the Sweden-funded Decent Work in Garment Supply Chains Asia project.
Through an activity based, participant-driven methodology that is both scalable and cost-effective, the FIT helps factories advance decent work and sustainability by upgrading processes in a variety of areas, including productivity, working conditions, and environmental practices.
From March 2021 to February 2022, FIT was piloted in Bangladesh, Cambodia and Pakistan, with the support of business associations and other industry partners. Results were monitored and analyzed across 27 enterprises with approximately 450 participants.
The pilot programme revealed FIT’s methodology to be useful and easily applicable, with many participants praising its activity-based, peer-learning approach in fostering natural interactions and building confidence to tackle workplace challenges in a step-by-step manner. The wide module variety makes the toolset highly adaptable to factory needs, while coaching of in-factory facilitators and coordinators during the pilot stage helped build overall factory capacity to apply the tools independently of outside support.
Survey results demonstrated significant improvements in productivity, factory organization, and production systems (including environmental components and staff management). The ILO project team played a supporting and monitoring role throughout the pilot, whilst also working closely with aforementioned industry partners to design and deploy full post-pilot rollout plans at country level.
Through an activity based, participant-driven methodology that is both scalable and cost-effective, the FIT helps factories advance decent work and sustainability by upgrading processes in a variety of areas, including productivity, working conditions, and environmental practices.
From March 2021 to February 2022, FIT was piloted in Bangladesh, Cambodia and Pakistan, with the support of business associations and other industry partners. Results were monitored and analyzed across 27 enterprises with approximately 450 participants.
The pilot programme revealed FIT’s methodology to be useful and easily applicable, with many participants praising its activity-based, peer-learning approach in fostering natural interactions and building confidence to tackle workplace challenges in a step-by-step manner. The wide module variety makes the toolset highly adaptable to factory needs, while coaching of in-factory facilitators and coordinators during the pilot stage helped build overall factory capacity to apply the tools independently of outside support.
Survey results demonstrated significant improvements in productivity, factory organization, and production systems (including environmental components and staff management). The ILO project team played a supporting and monitoring role throughout the pilot, whilst also working closely with aforementioned industry partners to design and deploy full post-pilot rollout plans at country level.