Social Responsibility

WRAP

WRAP is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to the certification of lawful, humane and ethical manufacturing throughout the world.

Compliance with laws and workplace regulations

Manufacturers of Sewn Products will comply with laws and regulations in all locations where they conduct business.

Prohibition of forced labor

Manufacturers of Sewn Products will not use involuntary or forced labor - indentured, bonded or otherwise.

Prohibition of child labor

Manufacturers of Sewn Products will not hire any employees under the age of 14, or under the age interfering with compulsory schooling, or under the minimum age established by law, whichever is greater.

Compensation and Benefits

Manufacturers of Sewn Products will pay at least the minimum total compensation required by local law, including all mandated wages, allowances and benefits.

Freedom of Association & Collective Bargaining

Manufacturers of Sewn Products will recognize and respect the right of employees to exercise their lawful rights of free association and collective bargaining.

Environment

Manufacturers of Sewn Products will comply with environ- mental rules, regulations and standards applicable to their operations, and will observe environmentally conscious practices in all locations where they operate.

Prohibition of Discrimination

Manufacturers of Sewn Products will employ, pay, promote, and terminate workers on the basis of their ability to do the job, rather than on the basis of personal characteristics or beliefs.

Health and safety

Manufacturers of Sewn Products will provide a safe and healthy work environment. Where residential housing is provided for workers, apparel manufacturers will provide safe and healthy housing.

Prohibition of Harassment or Abuse

Manufacturers of Sewn Products will provide a work environment free of harassment, abuse or corporal punishment in any form.

Hours of Work

Manufacturers of Sewn Products will comply with hours worked each day, and days worked each week, shall not exceed the legal limitations of the countries in which sewn product is produced. Manufacturers of sewn product will provide at least one day off in every seven-day period, except as required to meet urgent business needs.

Security

Manufacturers of Sewn Products will maintain facility security procedures to guard against the introduction of non-manifested cargo into outbound shipments (e.g. drugs, explosives, biohazards, and/or other contraband).

Customs Compliance

Manufacturers of Sewn Products will comply with applicable customs law and, in particular, will establish and maintain programs to comply with customs laws regarding illegal transshipment of apparel products.

SMETA Audit

The Sedex Members Ethical Trade Audit (SMETA) audit protocol is the standard for inclusion in the Supplier Ethical Data Exchange (Sedex). Sedex is a global membership organisation dedicated to driving improvements in ethical and responsible business practices in global supply chains. SMETA provides a standard audit and reporting protocol to consider the following:

SMETA 2-pillar audit

Labour standards
Health and safety
Supplementary factors:
- Environmental assessment (rudimentary)
- Management systems
- Entitlement to work
- Subcontracting and homeworking

SMETA 4-pillar audit covers the above plus

Environmental assessment (detailed)
Business Ethics

Global Security Verification (GSV)

Escalating Threats

In of the escalating threat from global terrorism and piracy, governments and customs organizations around the world have implemented supply-chain security standards to secure trade flows, protect against terrorist acts, and to combat illegal trafficking. 

In the process of enforcing and adhering to new international supply-chain security standards, companies must assess their supply chain to identify, mitigate and eliminate all potential security risks.

GSV Verification Criteria

C-TPAT - Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism
PIP - Partners in Protection
AEO - Authorized Economic Operations

GSV Security Solutions

Intertek's GSV program integrates multiple global supply-chain security initiatives, including C-TPAT (Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism), PIP (Partners in Protection) and AEO (Authorized Economic Operators). Our mission is to partner with international buyers and suppliers to drive the development of a global security-verification process, resulting in increased safety assurance, risk control, efficiency and cost savings for all participants.

HIGG Index

The Sustainable Apparel Coalition's (SAC) Higg Index team, composed of subject matter experts, developed these Communication Guidelines in collaboration with our partners at Higg to enable SAC members and Higg users to communicate about their Higg Index performance and promote the Higg Index as the leading global standard for sustainability measurement in the consumer goods industry. 

The guidelines were developed to provide the industry with a unified, consistent, and science-based way to publicly share sustainability performance using the suite of Higg Index tools. We believe that consistent presentation of performance, backed by accurate, credible, and verified data, can prevent companies from making false and misleading greenwashing claims.  

The guidelines provide guidance on communicating three major use cases based on each tool:

General use of the Higg Index
"Raw" value chain performance, such as a manufacturing facility score, or specific product environment footprint
Contextualized and standardized product-level performance claims for a consumer audience

Okeo-Tex

The Oeko-Tex® label indicates to interested end users the additional benefits of tested safety for skin-friendly clothing and other textiles. This test label provides an important decision-making tool when purchasing textiles.