Ansell announces formation of responsible glove alliance

Iselin, New Jersey – Australian gloves manufacturer Ansell Ltd as well as six other industry players have formed the Responsible Glove Alliance (RGA), as part of a move to “ensure the rights and dignity of workers vulnerable to forced labour in Malaysia’s rubber glove industry.”

The alliance, formed 1 March, includes Ansell Ltd; Cardinal Health; Hartalega Holdings Berhad; Henry Schein, Inc; Kimberly-Clark Corp.; Kossan Rubber Industries Berhad; and Medline Industries, LP.

In a statement, the RGA said it will initially focus its efforts on the Malaysian rubber glove manufacturing industry, the world’s largest producer of gloves, which is heavily dependent on migrant labour.

The alliance said it will work to “identify, remediate and prevent” the conditions giving rise to forced labour through recruitment transformation, collective influence, and the application of due diligence.

“We recognise that many labour rights challenges… cannot be solved by any one company working alone,” said Neil Salmon, managing director and CEO at Ansell.

“This new organisation will bring an aligned cross-industry focus to this pressing issue,” he added.