Social responsibility in the supply chain

When the pandemic began, we entered into close dialogue with our suppliers and sought out customized solutions. One of the biggest challenges for our partners continues to be the loss of large order volumes. VAUDE did not cancel any orders during the pandemic. As a member of the Partnership for Sustainable Textiles, we actively participated in and signed the recommendations for action on responsible purchasing practices. These include guiding principles that contain recommendations for dealing with orders as well as health risks and the risk of infection at production sites. For example, we have jointly redefined delivery dates and payment targets, always on the premise that neither side would be unduly burdened by the changes.

In order to monitor how the situation in each country was developing among our partners and how severely each was affected, we set up a survey together with our local Asian teams and are conducting it at regular intervals. This allows us to receive Corona-specific information directly from our supply chain partners on an on-going basis.

As a matter of principle, we are highly committed to responsibility and fairness in the supply chain and rely on long-term partnerships with our producers and suppliers. We communicate with them as partners on equal footing, and this has proven to be a distinct strength in dealing with the crisis that has served us well thus far. We produce high-quality and durable products that are manufactured under ecological and fair working conditions. We consciously accept additional expenses. Our business model is not geared toward achieving profits from the large-scale production of fast-moving collections. Instead, we plan the purchase and merchandise management of our products very precisely and have many items in our product range that are sold for several years in a row.

Fair Wear is a multi-stakeholder organization which believes that enacting change in the supply chain is a joint responsibility. This fits well withroach at VAUDE, because we also believe that the responsibility for fair working conditions does not lie with the producer alone; we as a client can also make a major contribution. For this reason, Fair Wear regularly checks whether we are meeting the requirements placed on us.

Our direct business partners for the manufacturing of our products are our producers. As garment makers, they manufacture our products: They prepare the fabrics, cut out pattern pieces and sew them into finished products. Quality control and packing finish off the process.

In general, the textile and clothing industry is very labour intensive. Because making clothing primarily involves manual processes that require a large number of workers, Fair Wear focuses on this part of the process. This gives us the opportunity to improve working conditions for the largest number of workers in our supply chain.

Fair Wear provides us with the opportunity to cooperate with other member companies. If, for example, other manufacturers work with the same producer, we can perform a joint audit. This is advantageous in that the producer must be audited only once, reducing the waste of resources – both the producer’s and ours. Another positive aspect is that in working together, we have a greater degree of influence on the producer. For example, after a joint audit or during joint training programs, we can work together with other member companies to enhance the effects of the improvement process. Read more here

All partners must sign a commitment to comply with the Code of Labour Practices and participate in the improvement process.

In addition, all production sites receive regular training on the content of the Code of Labour Practices and the complaint hotline.

• Employment is freely chosen
  
• Equal opportunity
  
• No exploitation of child labour
  
• Employee involvement in decisions
  
• Fair Wages
  
• No excessive working hours
  
• Occupational health and safety
  
• Legal employment
  

To ensure objective examination of working conditions at the production facility, producers are audited by independent FWF auditors. During the audit, Fair Wear closely examines whether or not the producer is complying with the contents of the Code of Labour Practices and applicable laws. Any discrepancies are recorded in a corrective action plan (CAP).

Fair Wear audits include the following:

• Inspection of the entire production site
  
• Review of relevant documents
  
• Interviews with workers and the management
  

All interviews are conducted anonymously. Interviews take place both within and away from the production site.

In addition, Fair Wear surveys local stakeholders on each of the eight standards regarding the conditions and implementation of these standards in the country.

An audit alone does not change anything. The actual work begins after the audit. After each audit, Fair Wear and the production facility agree to a binding corrective action plan (CAP) in which all deviations are listed.

We discuss this corrective action plan intensively with our producers. Together we develop joint solutions and also a schedule that specifies the date by which the respective deviations should be remedied. The challenge is to anchor the implemented measures in a sustainable manner.

Yes! Because the people who work there are also involved in the manufacturing of our products, we want to ensure fair working conditions at these locations as well. All of our producers are committed to disclosing their subcontractors. 

We have the same process with subcontractors that we have with our direct producers. Before work begins, the subcontractor must pass a confirmation process for our production. If the facility is approved, it is included in the same monitoring process that is used for our direct partners.

Here, too, we demand maximum transparency from our partners. If various production steps (such as embroidery, printing or washing) cannot be carried out internally, the producer must inform us.