Together with the independent organization Fair Wear Foundation (FWF), the mountain sports brand VAUDE is committed to achieving fair working conditions worldwide. For its unwavering dedication, VAUDE has now attained “Leader” status, the highest performance benchmarking category of FWF. In order to reach this status, brands must fulfil high performance requirements and work closely with production facilities. VAUDE has attained the outstanding score of 83% percent in the Brand Performance Check 2014, FWF’s yearly monitoring of its affiliates. VAUDE is meanwhile also producing 96 percent of its total production in facilities that have been monitored in accordance with FWF requirements. As a “Leader”, VAUDE can now also communicate its FWF affiliate membership directly on its products, for example, on product tags.
Fair Wear Foundation (FWF) is an independent, non-profit, multi-stakeholder organization that works with brand companies, retailers and producers to improve labor conditions in the garment industry worldwide. As a member of FWF, VAUDE is required to implement the strict FWF Code of Labor Practices in all production facilities and so meet the highest standards for socially equitable working conditions. These include, among others, the payment of living wages, reasonable working hours, safe and healthy working conditions, prevention of child labor and many more. “We are responsible for the working conditions in the production facilities with whom we cooperate. Therefore, it is a matter of course for us that we are also actively involved in promoting social justice, even if this is a long process that requires a great deal of effort, cooperation and mutual understanding. The fact that we have attained the Leader status fills us with pride and spurs us to continue on this path,” says Antje von Dewitz, CEO VAUDE.
Shared responsibility
The aim of FWF is to ensure that brands work closely together with production companies and FWF experts on improving labor conditions. Based on a holistic management system, brand manufacturers are required to optimize workflow, timeframes and responsibilities step-by-step so that the respective production facilities can plan over long term. Thus, brand manufacturers, for example, can set a course at the beginning of collection planning that avoids causing overtime in production facilities due to orders being placed at short notice.
Regular audits
In regularly scheduled audits, FWF monitors working conditions and social standards in individual production facilities. During the audit, employees are questioned both outside of the manufacturing plant as well as during work hours without the presence of management, and extensively informed as to their rights. At the same time, FWF controls labor contracts, personal documents, and other documents, as well as work safety standards. The findings form the basis of a “Corrective Action Plan” that exactly purports what improvements textile brands must make in cooperation with production facilities, within a clear timeframe. In each audited facility an anonymous complaints procedure is also established. FWF checks and verifies progress continuously. VAUDE has its own 14-person team in Asia that takes care of the implementation of measures on site.
Leader status due to successful Brand Performance Check
To attain “Leader” status, the brand manufacturers must achieve a benchmark score of at least 75 percent in the annual “Brand Performance Check”. In these annually conducted controls, FWF verifies affiliates regarding their progress in implementing labor standards and improving working conditions. “VAUDE has made significant steps into monitoring their supply chain. The company has in-depth knowledge about its production sites, and full time staff in Asia enables the company to efficiently and quickly remediate issues found on the ground,” says FWF’s Annabel Meurs. “Leaders” also have to prove that at least 90% of their total production is manufactured in facilities that are monitored in accordance with FWF requirements.
VAUDE Philosophy: long-term and close cooperation
VAUDE has always placed emphasis on long term relationships and close cooperation with external production companies. A 14-person team of VAUDE employees in Asia plays an important role by maintaining direct contact on site, regularly visiting production facilities, and verifying quality as well as social and environmental requirements. This allows VAUDE to create a basis for constructive co-operation and a common understanding of social as well as quality standards.
VAUDE Brand Performance Check at the FWF Website:
http://www.fairwear.org/528/company/vaude_sport_gmbh_and_co_kg/?companyId=140
INFO: VAUDE
