The Code

The Electronics Watch Code sets out the standards for the production of goods purchased by its affiliates. The standards in this Code are general enough that they capture the widest possible range of violations, but also specific enough to be easily interpreted and enforced.

The Code includes domestic standards defined in applicable domestic labour law. Those laws are often comprehensive and tailored to local conditions. Yet, they do not always provide the level of worker protection that international standards do.

Because most countries have committed to implement international standards in their own laws, the Code includes international labour standards as defined in the fundamental conventions of the International Labour Organization, and additional international standards relevant to electronics manufacturing.

Because the international labour conventions generally lack the specificity to make them easily enforceable, the Electronics Watch Code also contains a set of sub-standards for each main standard that describes specific practices that are not allowed.