Sweet Protection has, as a part of Active Brands, policies covering both what we are obliged to do as a company to secure human rights and working conditions among business partners, via our Responsible Business Conduct Policy, and policies and contracts covering what we are expecting from our business partners when it comes to respecting human rights and working conditions, which are aligned with key UN and International Labour Organisations conventions and documents.
We are assessing and identifying risks in our supply chain by research on sourcing country risks, and specific industry risks, via dialogues with suppliers, and results from social audits. As a member of Ethical Trade Norway and Amfori’s Business Social Compliance Initiative we are supported by tools, guidance, and audit schemes to ensure we have sound processes in place for identifying salient issues linked to human rights and working conditions.
In order to prevent and mitigate those risks we are working closely with suppliers and have transparent communication during production planning and payments. Our integrated scorecard is grading suppliers’ social performance on a seasonal basis and Active Brands are requiring all suppliers to reach an acceptable level. In addition, we are relying, to a large extent, on certified materials, where social performance is factored into the certification.
You can read more about our due diligence process, sustainability approach and focus areas HERE.