Pentland Group plc, a UK-based company owns a number of brands in the sportswear and clothing sectors, such as Speedo, Ellesse and Mitre. It also services a number of ‘own label’ footwear and clothing companies. Sourcing footballs from suppliers in Pakistan, the company has proactively tackled the problem of child labour.

1. International pressure: When the issue of child labour in Pakistan came to a head in the mid-1990s, it was the sportswear sector that attracted most international attention, as it was considered more vulnerable to consumer pressure. An international campaign was initiated by the trade union movement and supported by some US-based human rights NGOs.

2. Assessing options: For several reasons Pentland rejected the option to terminate contracts with suppliers who may have been using child labour. Walking away from the problem would not improve the situation in the factories in Pakistan. Pentland drew lessons from the case of Bangladesh in 1993-4 when, faced with a possible US boycott because of their use of child labour, Bangladeshi manufacturers laid off some 50,000 children. Thousands of those children are likely to have fallen through the inadequate social safety net, forced instead into less well paid and even more dangerous forms of work

3. Constructive engagement: Pentland adopted a ‘constructive engagement’ approach, seeking to work with factory managers to bring standards to an acceptable level in an acceptable time period. Stages in this process have included:

• Forming an international alliance with members of the World Federation of Sporting Goods Industry, industry associations, UN bodies and NGOs, focusing on two projects; (i) workplace prevention and monitoring of child labour, (ii) social protection and rehabilitation for working children.

• Gaining local ownership for the programmes through the Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and local NGOs.

• Keeping channels of communication open with all stakeholders, including the trade unions.

• Learning from pilot projects and benchmarking progress at the factory level

• Working with suppliers to assess and manage risk through practical guidelines and training

• Demonstrating leadership within the sportswear sector to work collectively to improve standards in factories.