Suppliers are struggling under competing pressures: incoming human rights and forced labour regulation raising the bar on social performance, volatile tariff costs squeezing already-thin margins, and brand targets around net-zero action requiring investment that many suppliers are ill-equipped to absorb alone.
All the while, climate impacts are intensifying pressure in key manufacturing hubs. In Bangladesh alone, 36 percent of garment workers have been displaced by climate impacts, with women hit hardest (Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies).
For sustainability teams, the challenge is how to make climate progress in a way that protects workers and supports suppliers in a warming world, while staying ahead of regulation. This means clearer shared planning, fairer responsibility, and multi-stakeholder partnerships that safeguard the workers at the heart of global value chains.
Our panel will explore:
- The latest research on climate impacts in key manufacturing regions
- What a just transition means in practice — and why it demands coordinated action across brands, suppliers, workers groups and governments
- What cross-industry mechanisms such as Better Work and the ACCORD model can offer to advance a just transition
- Case studies of initiatives that strengthen support for workers and their families that can be easily replicated and drive impact at scale
What to expect from this type of session...
Main stage sessions, but not as you know them. Because we’re off-the-record, leading experts can speak candidly about their experience with what works, and what doesn’t. At least half the session is dedicated to audience insights and questions to ensure we tackle the big issues head on.
