Our membership in the Fair Wear Foundation helps us ensure that work practices in our production facilities are socially acceptable.
Fair working conditions for all
VAUDE has a long tradition of business relationships that are based on partnership and responsibility. As a rule, we always work directly with of our producers and do not order over agencies. We are very interested in long-term relationships with our producers. Instead of a “hire and fire” policy, we have established an extensive collaborative understanding of our quality requirements over the years. This creates a degree of mutual trust that makes it possible to have an open and construction collaboration.
In this report year, we have worked together for five or more years with almost 70% of our producers. In addition, the production volume at 67 percent of all of our producers is more than ten percent of their total capacity.
In order to guarantee independent monitoring of working conditions in our production facilities, VAUDE has been a member of the independent “Fair Wear Foundation” (FWF) organization since 2010. Our goal is to achieve improved working conditions in our production facilities through exchanges with the experts of the “Fair Wear Foundation” and other member businesses.
Monitoring of production facilities
The Fair Wear Foundation (FWF) is a non-profit, multi-stakeholder organization that works with brand companies, retailers and producers to improve working conditions in the sewing textile industry.
The FWF focuses exclusively on these producers because this is where labor-intensive sewing processes take place that require many workers. An automation of this process is scarcely possible. Material suppliers are not evaluated.
Holistic management system
VAUDE made the decision to join the FWF for two main reasons: Firstly, the monitoring of the producers’ working conditions is not based on occasional audits, but on a holistic management system.
All work processes, timelines and responsibilities for production at the company headquarters are successively optimized so that the respective production facility can plan over the long term. We want to ensure, for example, at the very beginning of our collection planning process that overtime in production due to late orders will be avoided.
Principle of shared responsibility
Secondly, the Fair Wear Foundation system is based on the principle of shared responsibility between our company as the contracting entity and the management of the production facility, without whose understanding and active participation, improvement measures can never be sustainable.
The Fair Wear Foundation summarizes the results after an audit in a Corrective Action Plan (CAP), in which necessary improvements are identified. We implement the CAP together with the producer. The Fair Wear Foundation regularly verifies the progress made.
Obligation to comply with strict rules
As a member of the Fair Wear Foundation, we have committed ourselves to complying with the strict rules based on the International Labour Organization (ILO) in all of our production facilities.
The full Code of Labour Practices from the Fair Wear Foundation can be downloaded here: “Code of Labour Practices ”.
“Code of Labour Practices” as contract component
Besides the quality handbook, all producers also have to sign the “Code of Labour Practices“ of the „Fair Wear Foundation“ as part of the contract. Further we inform them in detail about the FWF and our membership. When considering new producers we take into account wether they have other ecological and social certificates or not.
Before signing a contract with a new producer, a VAUDE Head of Production who is also a member of the VAUDE CSR team at the company headquarters in Tettnang visits the production facility – read more about this at VAUDE CSR-Team in „“Upward”, “downward” and “outward” effects“.
VAUDE supports producers in the improvement process
Any system is only as good as the extent to which it is put into practice. As a member of the Fair Wear Foundation, the principle of shared responsibility applies to VAUDE and its producers. We support our suppliers in the continuous improvement of working conditions
At the same time, we are working on our own procedures in the planning and ordering process, to create the conditions necessary for our contractors to plan at an early stage for the capacity of their workers. This helps them to provide timely deliveries, safely and without depending on excessive overtime.
GRI:
HR10
percentage of new suppliers that were screened using human rights criteria
GRI:
HR11
significant actual and potential negative human rights impacts in the supply chain and actions taken
GRI:
LA14
percentage of new suppliers that were screened using labor practises criteria
GRI:
DMA Supplier Human Rights Assessment
Disclosure on Management Approach Supplier Human Rights Assessment
GRI:
DMASupplier Assessment for Labor Practices
Disclosure on Management Approach Supplier Assessment for Labor Practices
GRI:
DMA Procurement Practices
Disclosure on Management ApproachProcurement Practices
GRI:
Employment
Disclosure on Management Approach Employment
GRI:
DMA Forced or Compulsory Labor
Disclosure on Management Approach Forced or Compulsory Labor
GRI:
DMA Market Presence
Disclosure on Management Approach Market Presence
GRI:
DMA Diversity and Equal Opportunity
Disclosure on Management Approach Diversity and Equal Opportunity
GRI:
DMA Equal Remuneration for Women and Men
Disclosure on Management Approach Equal Remuneration for Women and Men
GRI:
DMA Non-discrimination
Disclosure on Management Approach Non-discrimination
GRI:
Child Labor
Disclosure on Management Approach Child Labor
GRI:
DMA Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining
Disclosure on Management Approach Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining
GRI:
DMA Occupational Health and Safety
Disclosure on Management Approach Occupational Health and Safety
GRI:
DMA Labor Pracites Grievance Mechanisms
Disclosure on Management Approach Labor Pracites Grievance Mechanisms
GRI:
DMA Human Rights Grievance Mechanisms
Disclosure on Management Approach Human Rights Grievance Mechanisms
Our monitoring system complies with the Fair Wear Foundation. We determine which producers will be audited in the following year in an annual work schedule. We place priority on suppliers with a high production volume or with many years of collaboration as well as producers with whom we know that collaboration will continue, even when our production volume is currently small.
Audits in risk countries
The FWF also provides information about those countries where the risk of poor working conditions is particularly high - see "Strict controls in risk countries". The FWF stipulates that from the 3rd year of membership, 90 percent of the suppliers must be audited. This ensures that most producers are audited.
Because the work plan for 2013 was developed and implemented on the basis of the EX-Works figures from 2012, the percentages reported here refer to the FWF audit of 2012. The work schedule 2013 was implemented and all further results are based on the audits that took place in 2013.
Independent audit team
During each audit, the producers’ overall implementation of the monitoring is evaluated based on the Code of Labour Practices social standards in respect to labor practices and human rights, and other aspects. The audit team consists of independent, local auditors or agents of the Fair Wear Foundation.
The audits consist of three parts: a document check, the inspection of the production facility with a focus on occupational health and safety, and interviews of persons working within and outside the facility. In addition, local stakeholders are consulted on each point.
Collaborative action plan after each audit
After each audit, a binding action plan (CAP) is jointly agreed upon with the audit team and the management of the respective production facility. VAUDE takes the responsibility for ensuring that the measures referred to therein are implemented.
The VAUDE quality control team leaders in Vietnam and China support local implementation. In case of implementation difficulties, a solution is sought in dialogue with the producers.
Re-assessment after three years
During the year, each producer is visited personally by VAUDE. Additional quality issues are determined regarding how the CAP will be implemented, which further action is necessary (if any) and when the next audit will take place.
After three years, a new audit is carried out by the FWF to evaluate progress made. If necessary, a new action plan is then developed.
VAUDE monitoring on-site
In order to improve the tracking of audits and the implementation of measures resulting from the audits and action plans, and to better systematize them, we have incorporated our own employees on-site in China and Vietnam to a much greater degree in this issue since 2012. These are our quality assurance team leaders in Vietnam and China, as well as our office in Shanghai.
All employees on-site are locals, so they know the language and culture, including national, regional and local conditions and regulations. We have strengthened the teams with more personnel and trained a quality assurance team leader intensively on CSR and social standards in each of our Vietnam and China locations.
With these training measures, we offer our production facilities direct assistance in the implementation of social standards. The implementation of action plans is coordinated through our office in Shanghai. Our audited facilities report to this office on all actions taken and obtain support for continuing problems.
Intensive information at the VAUDE company headquarters
To anchor the Fair Wear Foundation’s monitoring system throughout the company and in particular in the entire product development and production process, we have carried out a series of internal information events and offered training classes at our head office in Tettnang-Obereisenbach.
To this end we use the intranet, the VAUDE Academy and our biannual Collection Introductions to the entire international sales workforce. Furthermore, the FWF and all corresponding issues are an integral part of the internal Update Meetings for all VAUDE product segments. All necessary action plans are reported on annually to the Board.
Annual evaluation by the FWF
The management approach is evaluated annually by the "Fair Wear Foundation" during the "Brand Performance Check" and is a component of our membership. Thus independent evaluation and assessment are ensured. Brand Performance Checks (BPC) evaluate the following two main aspects.
Work plan
Efforts that VAUDE intends to implement in the coming year are listed with corresponding measures in the Work Plan. This includes the following:
The FWF has determined how many production units per year will be audited and actively supervised. This percentage refers to the total purchasing volume for VAUDE with the producers per year.
First membership year = 40 percent
Second membership year = 60 percent
Third membership year = 90 percent
Both aspects are examined and rated in a point system.
Evaluation by VAUDE for 2013
The following table shows the measurements for 2013 at the "Brand Performance Check".
VAUDE in category "Leader"
This results in a "benchmarking score" resulted in 78 percent, which put us in the “Leader" category. In 2013, instead of the required 90 percent of the audit, we achieved only 72 percent which gave us a rating of “Good”.
Internal restructuring revealed that we could consolidate producers in some segments, which made it necessary to shift the required audits. This procedure was clarified with the FWF in advance.
Focus on further improvements
Despite our good results, some weaknesses and opportunities for improvement were identified during the audit. We will work even harder on their implementation now.
Purchasing Practices
Further consolidation of production facilities in order to increase our influence there.
Active work on implementing “Fair wages” - see also ".Link auf 4-Existenzsicherung.
Monitoring and Remediation
The implementation of the Corrective Action Plan (CAP) must be more actively pursued.
Identifying and remedying recurring themes in production facilities
