The paper gives an overview of the recent development within the Ethical Trade Initiative (ETI), especially the development of corporate codes of conduct, and considers the prospects they offer for improving labour conditions for workers in the international garments industry. It argues that two specific features of the industrycompetitive production systems based on international subcontracting and the use of predominantly female production workers-are likely to undermine the effective development of a codes-based strategy. Nevertheless, the labour rights agenda at the centre of ETI does provide a space for labour activists, whether operating in or out of formal union structures, to build campaigns and connections around global production networks.The protests at Seattle showed how challenges to the international trade regime have become a central plank of international policies and strategies, not only for unions but also for a wide range of social activists and campaigners from around the world. In the context of trade, international union strategies have focused on pressing for a linkage between trade and labour standards. At the same time, they have also been drawn into a series of labour rights-based campaigns and initiatives derived from consumer actions and organising.Consumer-led strategies in Europe and the US have been central to the development of an ethical trade movement seeking to promote

The paper gives an overview of the recent development within the Ethical Trade Initiative (ETI), especially the development of corporate codes of conduct, and considers the prospects they offer for improving labour conditions for workers in the international garments industry. It argues that two specific features of the industrycompetitive production systems based on international subcontracting and the use of predominantly female production workers-are likely to undermine the effective development of a codes-based strategy. Nevertheless, the labour rights agenda at the centre of ETI does provide a space for labour activists, whether operating in or out of formal union structures, to build campaigns and connections around global production networks. 526Antipode