The Warehouse Group partners with HERproject

While The Warehouse Group may be New Zealand based, our products, people – and therefore – our responsibility, spans across the globe.

Behind every product on our shelves is a person or team of people who helped it get there. We have a responsibility as an employer and ethically-minded organisation to ensure that the people who help make our products are cared for.

Because of this responsibility, earlier this year we began a partnership with HERproject to provide financial literacy and health awareness for women in the Bangladesh factories we work with, which produce apparel for The Warehouse stores. Operated by global non-profit Business for Social Responsibility (BSR), HERproject offers workplace-based interventions on health, financial literacy and gender equality for women working in global supply chains.

“Partnering with organisations like BSR and HERproject enables us to offer the workers in the factories we operate in access to valuable education and training,” says Trevor Johnston, Head of Ethical Sourcing at The Warehouse Group. “By partnering with programmes like this, we’re helping women to make the best financial and personal choices they can for themselves and their families, which can have an impact on entire communities.”

HERproject curriculum covers important topics like family planning, maternal health, personal hygiene and healthy eating. Its financial literacy curriculum offers overviews on budgeting, savings and financial products and services available relevant to participant locations.

“Our mission is to unlock the full potential of women working in global supply chains through workplace-based programs on health, financial inclusion, and gender equality,” says Lauren Shields, Associate Director at HERproject. “By working with large organisations like The Warehouse Group, we’re able to drive further change in the lives of the women who need it most, ensuring they and their families can have a brighter future.”

The two factories we work with in Dhaka and Tangail, Bangladesh employ a total of 1,458 women workers who will be receiving training through HERproject. Over the next few months, we’ll be sharing updates on how the programme is tracking, so keep an eye on The Warehouse Group channels for more information.

Learn more about HERproject.

Photos courtesy BSR