Crystal International Group
A Victoria’s Secret & Co. partner since 2007, Crystal International Group Limited (“Crystal International” or “Crystal”) has endeavoured to take the lead in sustainable garment manufacturing.
With a global workforce that of approximately 70% women, Crystal International has long been leading the movement in empowering women and supporting gender equality by implementing a series of women empowerment programs for female workers. The programs provide workers with the life skills, education and training to help them succeed in their personal and professional lives.
Empowering women through the CARE program
To promote women’s social and economic empowerment, Crystal International has implemented the factory-based program P.A.C.E (Personal Advancement & Career Enhancement) since 2012. In addition to P.A.C.E., Crystal International also worked on BSR’s RISE, which focuses on health awareness and financial literacy for women in the workforce. In addition to P.A.C.E. and RISE, Crystal International developed its own employee care program called “Crystal Advocates Respect and Engagement (CARE)” in 2015. Crystal’s values were embedded to give workers more comprehensive trainings on job and personal life skills.
The CARE program consists of five learning and development levels which integrate different skills, including health and safety, financial literacy, communication, problem solving, career advancement and leadership. Crystal has incorporated program impact into its Global 5-year Sustainability Targets and has pledged to empower 40,000 female workers by year 2022. To date, Crystal’s factories - spanning China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka have reached over 54,000 workers through the CARE program, well exceeding the target.
Building capabilities through the “Train the Trainer” program and digital learning
After completing the trainings, some graduates even joined the “Train the Trainer” (“TTT”) program to become the Ambassador for Crystal and be a positive influence on those joining female empowerment programs. TTT program can further enhance their teaching, coaching and presentation skills.
To offer flexible training, Crystal was the first garment manufacturer to digitalize the training and has launched digital P.A.C.E. through online platforms and mobile apps since 2019. Crystal also extended the online course to Vietnam subcontractors in 2022. Women’s empowerment programs are part of Crystal’s DNA, and Crystal International will continue to advocate for and realize female workers’ full potential with new initiatives.
