Worker Well-being

Family-Friendly Factory Program

An Award-winning program supporting thousands of workers employed at factories around the world. We welcome businesses of all sizes and nature to get involved - together, we can create a better life for workers worldwide.
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What is a Family-Friendly Factory?

A Family-Friendly Factory is one which has considered the distinct needs of its employees with family & carer responsibilities. The Family-Friendly Factory program works to improve factory policies and environments to support working parents.

Factories are empowered to create their own family-friendly policies and provide facilities that promote a positive family-work balance. Each factory entering the Family-Friendly Factory program undertakes an initial needs assessment from which a bespoke program of policies, facilities and activities will be suggested to address these needs.

Elements of a Family-Friendly Factory may include

Providing employer-funded childcare through implementing ESCP's Family-Friendly Spaces program
A circle with books on it
Employer-funded training and support for parents, helping them to develop new skills
A red and blue clock with a white tick on it
Workplace policies which offer parents benefits such as flexible working arrangements and enhanced parental leave
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Thank you to our 2025 sponsors

What does the program achieve?

A Family-Friendly Factory supports working parents by creating policies and environments that improve their quality of life.

Through the Family-Friendly Factory program, we help factories implement tailored solutions such as employer-funded childcare, improved workplace policies and training. Through empowering factories across China, Vietnam, and Mexico, we are helping businesses alleviate promote a healthier work-life balance and driving better supply chains.
No Family-Friendly Factory is the same, the program is implemented based on the direct needs of workers at each factory.

The program received the 2025 Shared Value Award under the Partnerships for Purpose category, commended for its impact and multi-stakeholder approach – engaging manufacturers, NGOs, and government – a textbook example of shared value.

The program seeks to improve:

Childcare provision–providing employer-funded childcare through implementing ESCP's Family-Friendly Spaces program
Training and support for working parents– capability building enhancing communication skills and improving the parent–child relationship
Workplace policies– improving or introducing policies offering parents benefits such as flexible working arrangements and enhanced parental leave

Learn more about how we can amplify your impact.

Learn about our employer-funded childcare
"There’s a system that allows dual-income families to request shift adjustments, even if your partner works at another company; this means that one of us is always present with our child in the evenings. I hope to work here for a long time and be part of the factory's continued success"

– Worker at a Family-Friendly Factory

Why did we develop it?

ESCP, along with UNICEF’s Family-Friendly Policies guidance and expert advice, developed the program to optimise family-friendly policies in order to create a working environment that improves the physical and mental wellbeing of workers.

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Our research showed a lack of affordable, safe and accessible childcare was the no.1 reason why factory workers were leaving their jobs. We understand the importance of listening to workers and the Family-Friendly Factory (FFF) program helps factories to do this.

The Family-Friendly Factory program encourages factories to implement policies that create a working environment that allows parents and caregivers to balance work and personal life and the care of children.

Since 2021, ESCP has been piloting the initiative at four ESCP-certified factories, with guidance from UNICEF, with the four following aims:

Develop & implement suitable family-friendly policy
Expand FFF policy and facilities to all program users
The toy industry pioneering family-friendly workplaces
Deliver benefits to more worker and their children

About the Ethical Supply Chain Program

Our program focuses on social sustainability issues which impact well-being of workers involved in goods & products manufactured globally. Our requirements incorporate best practice and are reviewed on an ongoing basis to reflect the needs of all stakeholders in the supply chain.

We are a member of the United Nations Global Compact, see here how our program promotes the UN's Sustainable Development Goals.

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What is the Social Impact and Environmental Assessment?

It is a self-assessment and independent evaluation, with improvement plan not a pass/fail mechanism.
It evaluates your management systems for labor standards and environmental compliance.
It establishes the effectiveness of your current practices and provides capability building tools.

Latest Updates

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Blog
August 29, 2025
CSRD & CSDDD: Turning EU Compliance into Supply Chain Transparency

What are they key differences between the  Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (referred to as CSDDD or CS3D) and how is ESCP supporting its members to comply?

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Event
August 29, 2025
10 Year Anniversary Family-Friendly Spaces Event

ESCP celebrates 10 years of implementing employer-funded childcare programs in the supply chain.

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Event
August 28, 2025
Supporting Ethical Manufacturing in India & Bangladesh: Collaborating with WRAP

ESCP will host a webinar in collaboration with the Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production (WRAP) to share insights on manufacturing in Bangladesh and India.

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