PRIMARK

BEYOND CORPORATE SOCIAL

RESPONSIBILITY

SUBMITTED BY
GREESHMA V.

SUBMITTED TO
MS. A. RAJYALAKSHMI
ASST. PROFESSOR
FMS DEPT.

Introduction to Primark
A subsidiary company of the ABF (Associated British Foods)
Group

Launched in 1969 in Ireland (trading as Penny's)

2000 - over 100 stores across Britain and Ireland.

2012 - 238 branches across the UK, Ireland and Europe

Offering unbeatable value with innovative, fashion-driven

edge

Value-for-money prices .

Low Cost.

Economies of scale and efficient distribution

Cont.

Profitability depends on volume of sales

Does not manufacture goods itself

Works with suppliers to produce goods to Primarks

specification

China, India, Bangladesh and Turkey are key sourcing

countries

Why does Primark embrace

CSR?

Employment of more than 700,000 workers across

three continents
Ensuring their rights are respected
Responsibility to act and trade ethically It can be a
force for good
Primarks Code of Conduct sets out standards
for suppliers
Fair wage and good work conditions to suppliers
Primarks Project(Health Enables Returns)
Raising awareness and delivering healthcare
education to female workers in supplier countries
HEALTH IS WEALTH

what is HER Project?

Initiative started by BSR(Business for Social Responsibility)
and partnered with the Awaj Foundation.

Non-governmental organisation

Works with over 250 companies on environmental,

social and human rights

Aims to improve the health of female workers through

training and education

Provides tools to help them take charge of personal

and working lives

10% Peer group educators

Responsible for training other women in the workplace

Cont.
Understanding the local culture and building self-confidence

Mutual help and encouragement

Informal learning outside the workshops

Benefits their families and whole communities

HER project has helped over 50,000 women in different countries

through companies like Primark, Primarks suppliers and local health
providers

challenges

80% of garment manufacturing workforce in

supplier countries is female

4 million workers- Bangladesh alone

Gives them independence and income- Women

Empowerment.

Women have little education/ literacy

Lack knowledge of health, hygiene and nutrition issues

Lack of medical advice

Results in vulnerable workforce

More women than men are malnourished and suffer

from illnesses e.g. anaemia

Benefits of HER Project

Empowering/educating female workforce important goal in
its own right

Improves communication skills

Builds trust and confidence

Improves teamwork and motivation

Enables women to take more responsibility

Benefits factories and companies

Improvement in productivity

More stable workforce

Cont.

Lower absenteeism

Decreased labour turnover

Improved quality

Reduction in housekeeping costs

Benefits communities

Helping to reduce infant mortality

Encourages women to take on leadership

roles in communities

my Analysis

HER project makes a difference to the lives of its

supplier workers and delivers business benefits

4,500 women in Primarks factories trained under

the HER project in Bangladesh so far

Project is rolled out to Primarks suppliers in China

and India

A sustainable and ethical business model

89% provide on-site medical advice.

Increase of 55% in use of contraception.

Increase of 98% in consumption of Animal Protein.

3660 workers trained in South India.

Primark and the Her Project not only helped their economy but
also helped in the development and well being of its Suppliers
economies.

This project has a real and immediate impact on womens lives

by giving them practical, high quality information about their
sexual and reproductive health, said Racheal Yeager, BSR HER

project Director.

SWOT ANALYSIS
STRENGTHS:

Open and interest of society in general to CSR and the relative

novelty of the concept in public;

Growing level of consumer interest for products or services of

socially responsible companies.

WEAKNESSES:

Insufficient knowledge of the concept of CSR in society;

Lack of education, research and extensive sociological evaluation

of awareness and implementation of CSR in developing countries;

Poor implementation of socially responsible investments and

acquisitions;

Proficiency low and insufficient enforcement of consumer rights;

OPPORTUNITIES:

Benefits for companies, communities, society, business, environment,

etc. of a strategic approach to companies which integrates CSR;

Opportunity to learn, retrieve and adapt best practices and lessons

learned from the experience of other more developed;

Increased importance of corporate reputation, environmental

policies in consumer choice; positive attitude on the involvement of
citizens in community;

THREATS:

The lack of coherent public policies to promote CSR in Bangladesh

Lack a coherent legislative framework and consistent;

Support and insufficient involvement of public authorities in promoting

and implementing CSR;

lack of sufficient budget for promoting the application of CSR.

OTHER CSR SUGGESTIONS

1.Adopt a school in a village: Due to the inherent lack of quality primary
education in the rural areas, the company could adopt a school in a village
and employ qualified teachers with high backgrounds in their subjects.

2. They can also provide for good sanitation, uniforms for the students,
sufficient stationary and opportunities for extra-curricular activities.

3. Provide computers and free training for students in rural areas: The
company can donate computers to schools in rural areas and also provide
free of cost computer training to the students, so that they can learn and
enhance their IT skills.

4.Free medical camps for the backward regions: The company can tie-up with a
prolific hospital and provide free health check-ups in rural areas. Sometimes it could
be for specific medical purposes, like polio vaccination in children, cervical cancer
vaccinations in women, testing for malaria/dengue/swine flu, etc

5. International Scholarships for students from backward regions: For students of

brilliant academic caliber but no means to fulfill their potential abroad, the
company can provide to fund for the student's tuition fee, accommodation fee and
day to day living expenses, thereby providing deserving people with an opportunity
they would have otherwise been devoid of.

6. Adult Literacy Programmes: This is an activity used by Tata Consultancy Services.

India has so many able adults who are unemployed because they are illiterate and
haven't received proper education, so this is an initiative that can increase the
employment rate of the country and bring down the poverty levels.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

http://utalkmarketing.com/pages/article.aspx?articleid=1072
1&title=primark_defends_its_csr_credentials

http://businesscasestudies.co.uk/primark/engaging-withstakeholders/workers-andcommunities.html#axzz3EEOOGRAo

http://www.primark.com/en/our-ethics

http://prezi.com/esaquhtpxpxs/primark-csr/

my Take on Primarks
CSR activity