Join the Responsible Glove Alliance
Membership of the RGA is open to:
- All rubber glove manufacturers, and
- All companies globally that purchase rubber gloves.
RGA membership provides members with tools and programming to: conduct due diligence at the employment site and with recruitment partners; promote responsible recruitment of migrant workers; incorporate worker engagement; and deliver remedy, where applicable.
There are two levels of RGA membership: Supporter and Regular. The phased membership process is intended to provide new members a pathway for implementation and allow time for structural changes to be embedded. The Supporter level allows the RGA to provide capacity building and training to ensure applicants have the risk management systems and processes needed to be able to comply with "Regular" level RGA requirements. While both the Supporter and Regular membership phases carry specific accountability and transparency requirements, the Regular membership level requires adherence and regular reporting against stringent human rights due diligence requirements.
The RGA is focusing exclusively on reducing forced labor risk in the rubber glove industry.
The graphic below represents the process for admittance to "regular" RGA membership:
Application & Due Diligence Phase
Prior to submitting an application, prospective members should review the applicable fees for their category (buyer versus supplier) and become familiar with the phased membership process, as well as the compliance expectations for each level. For more information please contact info@responsibleglove.org
Applications for membership are reviewed by the RGA Secretariat, which will then initiate communication with the applicant to determine the appropriate membership level and category. Annual membership fees and contribution to the due diligence fund are due upon approval
Member Requirements
Supporter Level
Participation at the Supporter level enables new member companies to join the RGA and access tools and programming to support their forced labor due diligence. The RGA Secretariat will support new members in this process, toward the completion of the following foundational steps:
For suppliers:
- Supply chain mapping information related to rubber glove manufacturing facilities in Malaysia and related recruitment agencies in Malaysia provided to RGA;
- Training on forced labor and Specialty Validated Assessment Program (SVAP) for owned manufacturing facilities
- Recruitment agency training on forced labor and SVAP;
- Verified Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ) for related facilities and recruitment agencies;
- Onboarding to a worker grievance mechanism
Once these steps are completed, Supporter members will be able to schedule forced labor audits (SVAPs) or equivalent:
- On all production facilities, including accommodation sites
- On all recruitment agencies placing workers in member facilities.
Supporter level members will have access to all the RGA tools and programs in order to implement due diligence processes and will have the Secretariat schedule relevant trainings and onboarding. In the future, the RGA Steering Committee may place a time limit on the number of months companies may remain at the Supporter level before scheduling SVAPs and conducting remediation (e.g., 18 months). Because Supporter level membership is not equivalent to full compliance with all RGA requirements, companies at this level of membership will not be permitted to use the RGA logo on any of their materials, nor will they be eligible to stand for election for a seat on the RGA Steering Committee.
Regular Level
To access and maintain Regular-level status, member companies are expected to consistently meet the full membership requirements listed in the Operating Procedures, as applicable to buyers and suppliers. To qualify for Regular-level membership status, Supporter members must complete all the steps above – and move ahead with scheduling forced labor specialized audits on all facilities and recruitment agencies in source and destination countries. Applications for Regular member status can be submitted by notifying the RGA Secretariat.
To maintain Regular-level status, manufacturers of rubber gloves will need to conduct SVAP forced labor audits every two years and close disqualifying priority findings according to RBA timeframes. In relation to findings related to recruitment fees, requirements will align to RBA’s Standard for the Investigation of Repayment of Fees to workers, including:
- Repayment of workers departed within the previous 6 months;
- Submission of a repayment plan to the RGA Secretariat no later than 90 days after verification of fee charging; prior to scheduling a closure audit;
- Use of an independent, third-party to conduct worker interviews during the investigation if the fees are greater than one month of workers’ salaries;
- Interviews to be conducted in accordance with RBA VAP Operations Manual
- Interview sample sizes aligned with the RBA standard
- Repayment carried out in second 90 days after RGA Secretariat approves repayment plan;
- Closure audit conducted to verify remediation has taken place.
Regular level members will have use of the RGA logo for online and print media. Representatives from Regular member companies will also be eligible to vote in all-member ballots, and stand for election to the RGA Steering Committee.
Communications & Reporting expectations
Regular members are required to submit an annual report documenting all the steps being taken to ensure continuous improvement and ongoing compliance to membership requirements.
All active members at all levels are expected to maintain transparent and open communications with the RGA Staff, related to past or ongoing issues identified by audits, or by outside sources. The process for suspension and reinstatement of membership outlined in the Operating Procedures will apply to all levels of RGA membership and will be initiated by RGA Staff for both Supporter and Regular membership levels if there is a lack of evidence to show substantive progress toward continuous improvement over a period of 14 months.
