What Better Work does

Better Work is a joint programme of the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), founded in 2001 in Cambodia as Better Factories Cambodia and now operating across 11 country programmes (Bangladesh, Cambodia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Haiti, Indonesia, Jordan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Uzbekistan, Vietnam) plus thematic interventions in Madagascar. The programme delivers factory-level services — compliance assessments via the proprietary Compliance Assessment Tool (CAT), advisory visits, and the three-day Supervisory Skills Training (SST) — to 2,250 garment factories covering 3.7 million workers, while engaging 48 global brands and retailers and national governments on policy reform.

Its core technology stack centres on the CAT, a standardized eight-cluster labour-standards assessment instrument (covering child labour, discrimination, forced labour, freedom of association, occupational safety and health, compensation, contracts, and working time), supplemented by a public Transparency Portal, virtual advisory services for remote delivery, and SST digital training. The programme operates a multi-stakeholder convening model uniting governments, employers' and workers' organizations, global brands, and factories within shared compliance and dialogue workflows.

Better Work is a non-profit entity funded jointly by the ILO and IFC with additional development-partner support from Australian Aid, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), SECO Switzerland, and the United States Department of Labor. Services are provided to factories, brands, and governments at no direct cost; participation is voluntary, brand-mandated, or required under trade legislation (e.g., HOPE/HOPE II in Haiti). Documented outcomes include 22% productivity gains, 25% profitability gains, 55% higher export revenues, 50% higher export volumes, and an 18% reduction in sexual harassment concerns across participating factories.

Name

Better Work

Legal name

International Labour Organization (ILO) and International Finance Corporation (IFC) - Better Work Programme

Website

https://betterwork.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Better Work is a joint ILO-IFC non-profit programme operating in 11 countries, delivering compliance assessments, advisory services, and training to 2,250 garment factories, 48 global brands, and national governments to improve working conditions and competitiveness.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Garment Industry Compliance Services

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Labor, Social Protection & Occupational Safety Standards Cooperation (BPADANAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Conformity Assessment, Testing, Inspection & Certification Cooperation (BPADANAD), Labor Relations & Employment Practice Advisory (BPAHAGAK), Occupational Health & Industrial Hygiene (BPAHAJAD)

Keywords

• Labour compliance assessments
• Factory advisory services
• Supervisory skills training
• Garment industry standards
• Workplace compliance monitoring

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Programme Funding: Better Work is jointly funded by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and International Finance Corporation (IFC). Additional funding comes from development partners (Australian Aid, German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, SECO Switzerland), participating factories, and local donors.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Better Work delivers factory-level compliance assessments, advisory services, and training to garment factories across 11 countries to improve working conditions and competitiveness. The programme operates as a joint initiative of the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), using its proprietary Compliance Assessment Tool to evaluate factories against international labour standards. It also provides Supervisory Skills Training and engages governments, brands, and workers' organizations at the policy level.

Product overview

Better Work is a global programme, not a traditional software product company. It operates as a joint initiative of the ILO and IFC that provides a suite of services to improve working conditions in the garment industry. The core offerings include the Compliance Assessment Tool (CAT) for factory assessments, Factory Engagement Services (assessments, advisory, and training), Supervisory Skills Training (SST), the Transparency Portal for public reporting, and various Reports and Publications. These services are delivered through country-specific programmes across 11 countries (Bangladesh, Cambodia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Haiti, Indonesia, Jordan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Uzbekistan, Vietnam), with additional thematic interventions in Madagascar. The programme uses a model combining direct factory-level interventions with policy engagement at national and international levels.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Factory Engagement Services A suite of assessment, advisory, and training services delivered by Better Work Enterprise Advisors to garment factories to improve working conditions and compliance with international labour standards and national labour law.
• Supervisory Skills Training (SST)

Quantifiable outcome

• 22% productivity increase in participating factories
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and major.

• South Korea Textile and Fashion Industry LeadersminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 April 2026Roundtable discussions on worker wellbeing emphasizing systemic change and digital wage payments.
• International Labour Organization (ILO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founding partner of the Better Work programme. The ILO provides technical expertise on international labour standards, governance frameworks, and works with national constituents to improve labour regulations and practices.
• International Finance Corporation (IFC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founding partner of the Better Work programme. The IFC, part of the World Bank Group, contributes expertise on business competitiveness, private sector engagement, and investment in sustainable supply chains.
• IFC (Haiti Garment Sector Support)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIFC launched a project to support Haiti's garment sector by bringing together public and private sectors, helping manufacturers convert to PPE production, improving government services, and attracting investors.
• ONE ILO Siraye Programme (Ethiopia)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerComprehensive ILO programme combining multiple departments including SCORE, Vision Zero Fund, LABADMIN/OSH, and INWORK to address decent work challenges in Ethiopia's garment sector.
• Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (MAST) - HaiticoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment partner collaborating on labour inspections, factory assessments, and labour market governance. Joint inspection activities and inspector capacity building.
• Worker and Trade Union OrganizationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorkers' organizations and unions partner with Better Work to enhance worker rights awareness, grievance mechanisms, and social dialogue in factories.
• Employers' Organizations and Industry AssociationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry associations such as ADIH in Haiti, representing employers and collaborating on national action plans and compliance improvement.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Fair Labor Association: The Fair Labor Association is a multi-stakeholder initiative that conducts independent factory audits and accreditations in apparel and footwear supply chains. It is the most direct comparator to Better Work's assessment + advisory model, though it is a membership-based NGO rather than an ILO/IFC programme.
• amfori (formerly amfori BSCI): amfori is a European-based business association that runs the BSCI code of conduct and audit system for labour rights in global supply chains. It is directly comparable as a private-sector platform providing standardized social compliance assessments to brands sourcing from factories in similar geographies.
• Social Accountability International (SAI): SAI operates the SA8000 certified social compliance standard for workplaces, including apparel factories. It is a direct peer as a standards-setting and certification body focused on labour conditions in global supply chains, addressing many of the same compliance clusters as Better Work's CAT tool.
• Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI): ETI is a UK-based alliance of companies, trade unions, and NGOs that promotes respect for workers' rights in supply chains. It is directly comparable as a multi-stakeholder labour standards initiative serving apparel brands and their supplier factories.
• Sedex: Sedex is a global data platform for ethical trade, used by brands to manage supplier social compliance information including labour standards. It overlaps with Better Work's transparency portal function and serves many of the same brands and factories in the apparel sector.
• Worker Rights Consortium (WRC): WRC is an independent labour rights monitoring organization focused on apparel and footwear factories supplying to North American universities and brands. It is directly comparable in targeting the same factory population and labour-rights agenda, though it operates as an investigative watchdog rather than an advisory programme.

Broad incumbents

• Responsible Business Alliance (RBA): RBA operates the Code of Conduct and Validated Audit Process used by leading electronics and broader manufacturing brands. It is a broader incumbent in supply-chain labour compliance — overlapping with Better Work in approach but with primary focus on electronics rather than apparel.
• UN Global Compact: UN Global Compact is the world's largest corporate sustainability initiative, asking companies to align operations with principles on human rights, labour, environment, and anti-corruption. It is a broad incumbent thematically comparable to Better Work on labour standards but operates as a voluntary corporate pledge rather than factory-level engagement.

Emerging players

• Better Cotton Initiative: Better Cotton is a sustainability standard for cotton sourcing that intersects with apparel supply chains and uses a similar multi-stakeholder convening model. It is an emerging player adjacent to Better Work in the apparel sustainability stack, though focused upstream on raw materials rather than factory labour conditions.

Others

• International Labour Organization (ILO): ILO is Better Work's co-founding parent and the UN agency that sets international labour standards. It is included as an ecosystem peer since it shapes the standards Better Work assesses against and runs adjacent programmes in labour administration globally.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/better_work
• Facebookfacebook.com/betterworkprogramme

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Better Work