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RESPONSIBILITY & IMPROVING WORKING CONDITIONS
We are aware of the great responsibility that comes with
sourcing goods in countries which have not come as far as
SUSTAINABILITY us when it comes to working conditions and environmental
issues. We must ensure that the business operations of our
suppliers respect national requirements as well as international
conventions on human rights. Successful work requires
devotion and patience. Many of the challenges we face are
global problems like poverty and malfunctioning welfare
systems. In this sense, social compliance does not offer a quick
CLIMATE IMPACT AND EMISSIONS fix. We believe it is essential to be presented on-site. For this
Research shows that 80 % of the climate impact from Swedish reason, we have local offices in Asia taking care of the everyday
clothing comes from the production phase*. By doubling the work with supplier auditing, monitoring and dialogue. Our
active lifespan of a garment, the climate impact can be almost full-time CSR staff are educated and well-experienced on labor
halved. Thus, the most important thing we can do is to increase conditions and environmental aspects of the production sites.
the longevity of the products. That is why classic design and Their work is leading the development.
quality products - a concept that will never be out-of fashion –
is the very core of everything we do. In addition, work actively
with our suppliers regarding energy efficiency, energy source
and production techniques to further reduce our total impact.
A significant share of a garment’s total environmental footprint
is traceable to the choice of material. Therefore, we strive to
use more preferred materials – such as recycled polyester and
organic cotton – whenever possible. However, all materials have
advantages and disadvantages from a sustainability perspective
and priority is always quality and durability to enable a long CODE OF CONDUCT – AMFORI BSCI
lifecycle. Our Code of Conduct summarizes what we expect from all
For transportation, that also significantly contributes to our suppliers when it comes to social and environmental
greenhouse gas emissions, we have to main strategies. Firstly, responsibility. It contains requirements such as minimum
we constantly work with evaluating our processes to streamline wage, working hours, prohibition of child labor and several
our routines and plan our purchases well in advance. Within other requirements from global frameworks such as the ILO
the New Wave Group, shipments of different sister companies Conventions and the UN Declaration of Human Rights.
are clubbed together as much as possible so that containers Through New Wave Group we are a member of amfori BSCI
are always optimally filled during transport. We are also very (Business Social Compliance Initiative) and have adopted
careful which partners we choose to work with and only the amfori BSCI Code of Conduct. Today, more than 2000
use well-known carriers we know are at the forefront from companies all over the world have joined amfori BSCI and have
a sustainability perspective, both for sea freight and land adopted the code. Together we reach out to approximately 30
transport. Secondly, we strive to influence the transportation 000 unique suppliers worldwide, which empowers our voice
companies that we are working with. New Wave Group is a and influence in social dialogue. In addition to internal audits
member of “Clean Shipping Index”, that aims to impact the and supplier visits, we are obliged to implement and follow up
shipping companies to use cleaner vessels by ranking the most the Code of Conduct through third-party audits.
high-performing ships. Amfori BSCI is a commitment, and the most important work
begins when the inspection is completed, and the findings are
PROGRESSIVE WORK WITH CHEMICALS to be remedied. Therefore, it is not permitted to use amfori
All suppliers must follow the requirements in our Restricted BSCI as a label or a guarantee for individual products. The
Substance List. The list has been designed in accordance amfori BSCI logo may only be used to prove membership so
with legislation such as REACH, but also taking industry that the customer can feel confident that we take long-term
recommendations and standards such as Oeko Tex into responsibility - even for suppliers who need to improve.
account. Through our parent company New Wave Group,
we take part of the Swedish Chemicals Group organized by
RISE to receive the most updated information on chemical
legislation and developments. With this information we can
actively work to reduce and replace chemicals in line with best
available techniques.