For Brands, Investors, Governments, and Policy Makers

We leverage our grassroots access to provide a unique bottom-up, independent view of labor conditions around the globe.

Verité examines the systems that cause vulnerability for workers and risk for corporations and investors, identifying solutions to resolve those vulnerabilities. We gather information not generally available, utilizing our overseas networks of labor researchers to explore local sources and to conduct interviews with representatives of government, business, labor unions, and NGOs. We compare findings from primary and secondary research with our own experiences of labor auditing. The result is a thorough and locally-oriented assessment of risk.

IMPACT:

Verité pioneered the first quantification of the fees paid by foreign migrant workers – which is the cause of vulnerability for millions of workers around the world. Since then, we have built upon this research to develop the Help Wanted fair hiring toolkit, which helps suppliers and brands identify and eliminate labor abuses for migrant workers.

For more information on these or any of our other services, email us or call +413-253-9227.

For Brands

Risk Evaluation by Country & Sector
We assist companies in understanding what risks they face in sourcing products and commodities in specific sectors and countries, as well as helping them respond effectively. We can identify sub-standard practices including child labor and forced labor throughout supply chains.
Forced Labor
The Verité program begins with in-depth research to examine the scope and causes of forced labor in the supply chains of both manufactured goods and natural resources. By uncovering the mechanisms by which people are coerced into, and held in, forced labor, we identify steps for implementation by governments, international organizations, and local and multinational companies that can resolve problems to the benefit of millions of workers around the world.
Focused Research
We help companies identify where their resources should be used for maximum impact for the most cost-effective analysis. We customize research models based on sector, region, country, and specific labor abuses to best meet the unique needs of each client.
Labor Law Analysis
Verité Labor Law Analyses combine detailed desk research with the expertise of the organization’s network of in-country experts. The assessments provide a thorough review, analysis, and interpretation of labor law in a given country, region, sector, or worker population. The scope and breadth of the assessments are adjustable to meet our clients’ needs.

For ESG Investors

Pension Funds
  • We analyze risk of investor exposure to workplace rights violations.
  • We provide investors with the right indicators to enable them to evaluate companies in their portfolios.
  • Portfolio “verification” is conducted by a due diligence evaluation of a representative sample of invested companies.
  • Our Index of Labor Rights Risk in Emerging Markets provides an annual assessment of numerous emerging market countries as benchmarked against the International Labor Organization's (ILO) core conventions, utilizing an array of indicators of labor standards compliance - the first such framework of its kind to be used for investment purposes.
  • We help investors ensure asset managers’ capabilities to screen for human rights implications.
  • We evaluate individual companies for the presence or absence of risk management systems and structures to undertake shareholder advocacy.
  • Quarterly updates allow investors to keep up with the rapidly changing ways companies and stakeholders employ risk management.
Country Labor Reports
Verité conducts specialized research for manufacturers, investors, NGOs, and trade unions in the US. We have directly engaged with workers in factories in 60 countries and territories. We consult and collaborate with government agencies, human rights organizations, labor unions, academic institutions, business and trade associations, and all over the world. We explore across industrial sectors - consumer products, agriculture, and information technology. Areas of research specialization include:
  • Risks of sub-standard labor practices by country, region, or industry
  • Corporate compliance programs, Codes of Conduct, and vendor standards
  • Country labor law
  • Global trends in labor practices

For Other Stakeholders

Policy Research and Consulting
Verité is on the frontlines of CSR issues. We engage in policy advocacy to achieve tangible improvements from our on-the-ground projects. In-country experts analyze all data through the context of the local environment, lending additional depth to the knowledge obtained. They conduct interviews with workers in factories and on farms daily, staying on top of current issues and working with local NGOs and industries to implement policy change.