Social Code of Conduct for the Brick Sector in India

About the event

ICIMOD, in collaboration with the All-India Brick and Tile Manufacturers Federation (AIBTMF) is jointly organising a formal Social Code of Conduct (SCoC) endorsement event in Lucknow, India on 25th August 2026. The event will formally endorse and launch the SCoC for India’s brick sector fostering the commitment among the brick industries to voluntary adopt and implement improved labor conditions and promote socially responsible practices.

The event will bring together executive members of the AIBTMF, brick association representatives from the selected Indian Himalayan Region and relevant government departments from Labour Commission and Central Pollution Control Board.

Objectives

The specific objectives of the event are to: 

1. To provide common platform for dialogue among government representatives and brick entrepreneurs on advancing decent work and social responsibility in the brick sector.
2. To discuss operationalisation mechanism for rolling out, periodic monitoring, and promoting wider adoption of the SCoC across state level member brick associations.
3. To secure official endorsement and launch of SCoC by AIBTMF for the Indian brick sector.

Expected outcome

Endorsement and launch of the Social Code of Conduct (SCoC) by the All-India Brick and Tile Manufacturers Federation (AIBTMF) demonstrating their voluntary commitment to improving labour standards and social responsibility across the Indian brick sector.

Background

South Asia accounts for nearly a quarter of global brick production, with India as the second-largest brick producer manufacturing approximately 250 billion bricks annually through an estimated 144,000 brick kilns, employing nearly 15 million workers. Despite its scale, the brick sector across South Asia, including India, remains largely informal and faces pressing social challenges like- informal labor practices, workplace health and safety risk, women’s and children’s safety, and other associated social and environmental challenges. India currently lacks a dedicated policy specific to the brick sector, explicitly addressing the social issues, but there are several broader national labour laws, policies and regulations that provisions relevant policy alignment in the sector too. Strengthening the compliance with existing policy and standards to promote socially responsible practices in the Indian brick kilns sector are essential for improving the working and living conditions of the workers.

Previously, ICIMOD co-developed Social Code of Conduct (SCoC) for the brick sector in Nepal working collaboratively with the Federation of Nepal Brick Industries. This SCoC is aligned with the national labour standards of Nepal and aimed to promote wider adoption of socially responsive labour management practices in the brick kilns, thereby improving working and living conditions of brick workers. Building on this experience, ICIMOD is now collaborating with All India Brick and Tile Manufacturers Federation (AIBTMF) to co-develop and adopt Social Code of Conduct for India’s brick sector.

The co-development of SCoC for brick sector in India involved reviewing of existing 23 national policies, acts and regulations that are relevant to the brick industries to ensure the compliance with labor standards mandated by the Government of India. Following this, a consultation workshop held in November 2025 in Delhi jointly organised by AIBTMF, ICIMOD and Development Alternatives (DA) that convened twenty-six brick entrepreneurs and eleven representatives from State Brick Associations of India (Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu). During this workshop, a draft Social Code of Conduct (SCoC) for the brick sectors in India was shared for collective feedback and review for finalization in 2026.

As a part of the consultative process, a final draft SCoC was shared with the state brick associations through the AIBTMF to refine and finalize it. In an upcoming formal event in Lucknow on 25th August 2026, AIBTMF will officially endorse and launch the SCoC as a voluntary code to operationalise it for wider adoption by state brick associations. This will help to strengthen labor practices, enhance accountability and transparency, and support compliance with existing national labor standards across the Indian brick industries.