Sustaining Progress: Our 2025 Annual Report

In 2025, it seemed as if the only constant was disruption, from tariffs and a challenging economic climate to shifting global priorities, extreme weather events and the tightening of global development funding.

Yet, what remained clear, perhaps even clearer, is the link between supply chain stability and worker resilience. The conversation with our members, partners and funders became not about if but how we continue to advance equality and opportunity for workers.

RISE continues to be a space to make shared progress. Buyers work with us to keep their workforce development on track. Suppliers partner with us on programs that support a more confident and productive workforce. Workers gain tools and training that improve their resilience, well-being and financial future. Funders see their investment go to proven worker-focused programs.

Together, we made important strides in 2025. Three years in, RISE has supported over one million workers through our workplace programs.

We are grateful to our growing circle of members and partners for staying  committed and proactive. You made hard decisions. You stayed in the conversation. You proposed changes and improvements to our work. Your collaboration over these past 12 months made the impact we outline in this report possible.

Reducing duplication of effort continues to be a priority, and we’re taking positive steps. This year, 53% of workplace programs were co-funded between our members or between our members and participating factories, saving RISE members a combined $500,000. Together, we shaped the sector’s direction through Working Groups on Financial Health, Mental Health, and Respect.

Our engagement and learning in 2025 set us up well for 2026. We are integrating mental health across our programs, building on what we consistently hear from workers about managing stress and pressure. We will continue to deepen and scale our work on violence and harassment in the world of work. We look forward to putting the climate solutions we designed together into action. Our commitment to the long-term financial health of workers, building on the proven impact of our wage digitization work, has only doubled.

I am grateful for your ongoing partnership. We look forward to continuing this work together.

Read our full 2025 Annual Report