Pillar 1 - Ensure Fairness in Wages

Implementing fair wages not only addresses poverty and inequality, but also fosters economic dynamism. Conversely, low wages undermine consumption, weaken the social contract and diminish workforce productivity. Prioritizing fair pay not only supports employees, creating a more stable and motivated workforce, but also strengthens the overall economic landscape.

Aspired Milestone

Secure at least a living wage for both the internal workforce and workers across the supply chain

Only 4%

of top 1000 companies pay living wages or have targets on it

55-78%

customers willing to pay more for companies with social impact

75%

of companies paying living wages reported high motivation 

$22 billion

Actual GDP growth during wage increase period (+85k jobs) 


Enablers & Trackers

Primary areas of focus and action, with measurements for assessment and progress tracking

Enabler 1: Pay Level

Trackers: 

- Percentage of workers across the supply chain receiving living wages

- Percentage of supply contracts reviewed for implementing fair wages

Enabler 2: Variability

Trackers: 

- Pay stability (hours worked, timing of deposits ...)

- Pay variance across employee groups (gender, age, race ...)

Enabler 3: Intervention

Trackers: 

- Number of independent review mechanisms (benchmarking, audit, grievances, worker groups ...)

Unilever: Raising Living Standards Through Living Wages

Nestle: helping to close the living income gap for cocoa-farming communities

"As a global business, we serve more than three billion people every single day. Our footprint is huge, so when we concentrate on an issue such as raising living standards of the communities we engage with, we do so not only because it’s the right thing to do, but because we see the real business benefit of doing so. It’s how we can have the biggest impact".


Rebecca Marmot

Unilever: Chief Sustainability and Corporate Affairs Officer

"As a large corporation and the leader of our sector, we believe we can and should be part of the solution for a more just and more equitable society. The Living Wage accreditation by Fair Wage Network reaffirms our longstanding commitment to ensure a living wage to all our employees across the world. But our sense of responsibility goes beyond. We must also engage our partners in our transformation process, and help them transition to a more sustainable world".


Alexandra Palt

L'Oreal: Chief Corporate Responsibility Officer