Consider which potential leverage points you are best positioned to influence based on available resources, expertise, and, most importantly, collaborators. Taking collective action with other value chain actors allows you to greatly expand your influence on leverage points.¹ To find collaborators, consider the following: What other organisations share key suppliers or sourcing regions? Which organisations share your concerns, vision, or values? Which buyers participate in common initiatives? You may also find collaborators by developing or joining existing multi-stakeholder partnerships based on common interests. When forming partnerships, make sure to get on the same page by sharing your conceptual understanding of key leverage points.
EXAMPLE: Fair Cobalt Alliance²
Fairphone co-established an alliance to tackle labour abuses in artisanal cobalt mining, including child labour. The alliance includes industry leaders, governments, and NGOs, focusing on child labour prevention and providing education and alternative career training.³
EXAMPLE: ACT on Living Wages Initiative
ACT is an industry-wide initiative targeting the living wage issue in the textile and garment sector. Recognising that retailers alone cannot achieve 'living wages,' the initiative involves manufacturers and unions. It encourages collective bargaining, freedom of association, and responsible buying.⁴
EXAMPLE: Tony's Open Chain Platform
Tony's Chocolate initiated The Open Chain to help chocolate makers eradicate modern slavery and illegal child labour. The platform acknowledges that the "profit-centric, anonymous" chocolate supply chain is skewed, leaving farmers poor and powerless. The platform has designed 5 Sourcing Principles for buyers to follow.⁵, ⁶
EXAMPLE: Conveners find collaborators to tackle marine plastic pollution
