Responsible and Accountable Garment Sector Challenge Fund

Female labourers making garments in a textile factory in Dhaka, Bangladesh

The Responsible and Accountable Garment Sector (RAGS) Challenge Fund supports projects aimed at improving conditions of vulnerable workers in the ready-made garment (RMG) production sector. The fund aims to benefit workers in low- and lower-middle-income countries in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa that supply the UK market.

Aim

The aim of RAGS is to make responsible and ethical production the norm in the garment manufacturing sector supplying the UK

RAGS plays an important part in the "Sustainable Clothing Roadmap", a voluntary clothing industry initiative established by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and implemented by the Waste and Resources Action Plan (WRAP), Defra’s delivery body, to improve the environmental and ethical performance of clothing. This is being done by (i) establishing sound evidence on key impacts and where action will be most effective; (ii) agreeing various actions in priority areas (individual organisations and industry wide); and (iii) providing a platform to disseminate industry best practice as case studies to catalyse change throughout the sector.

Funding

Man at a sewing machine RAGS is funded by UKaid from the Department for International Development (DFID). Grants are made to companies, NGOs and/or trade unions who commit to demonstrating sustainable improvements in the working conditions of garment workers in countries supplying the UK market

Funds are made available on a cost-sharing basis. This means that for every grant made the grant holder (company, NGO or trade union) must match public funds with their own finance or in-kind contribution or other source(s) of fundung.

A call for grant applications took place in 2010 and 11 approved projects from this call are currently being implemented. Currently, no further calls for grant applications are being considered.