Cotton is a natural material and can be spun into a soft and versatile yarn that is breathable and feels comfortable on the skin. For several years we have only been using recycled and organic cotton, and in the background we have been working steadily on what is perhaps the biggest step since joining Fair Wear: the certification of our articles made of organic cotton (kbA) by GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard). We are delighted that almost all of our cotton items are now GOTS certified.
What is GOTS and what does the certification mean?
The Global Organic Textile Standard is the world’s leading processing standard for textiles made from controlled organic raw materials with a natural fiber content of at least 70%. The aim of the standard is to set up a globally uniform, controllable, social and ecological standard that covers the entire textile production chain and makes it traceable. A product can only bear the GOTS seal if it consistently meets the standards from the first processing stage to the finished garment. Compliance with the requirements for organic cultivation is checked annually by independent certification bodies.
“We have been working on the GOTS certification for more than five years and I am delighted that we have now successfully taken this step. The biggest task was to transparently disclose the supply chain together with our existing suppliers and to carry out the certification process across all stages. Some were already certified, with others we invested a lot of commitment and passion to really get everyone along the supply chain on board, because only then can a product be certified – a real milestone. But we don’t want to rest on our laurels and are constantly on the lookout for new and, for example, even more sustainable fibers. We also want to continue to grow in terms of circular economy and use even more recycled and recyclable materials.”
Fair Wear leader through social commitment
We have been a member of Fair Wear since 2013 and have even been a leader since 2016. This means that we implement the eight principles of fair cooperation with regard to working conditions particularly well and in close coordination with our suppliers and partners. The following describes how we address three of the eight points at Blutsgeschwister:
No discrimination in the workplace
The standard stipulates that everyone should have equal opportunities, regardless of factors such as skin color, religion or gender. In order to be able to prevent gender-based violence even better, we carried out a broad-based gender analysis in 2020. The findings from this study give us insights into the structures of individual companies – for example, how high the proportion of women is, in which jobs more women or more men work, or what the average hourly wage is. This allows us to derive concrete measures. This could be, for example, setting up a changing room or additional toilets for women.
Payment of living wages
We have made great strides in paying living wages. According to the standard, wages for a normal working week must at least correspond to the statutory minimum wage and should cover the basic needs of the employee and his family – including disposable income. However, wages are paid directly by the company to the respective workers, making it difficult for companies to obtain transparent information about the wages paid. In order to be able to ensure fair wages for our products, we have agreed target wages with the suppliers that are above the statutory minimum wage. Salary payments are verified, among other things, by Fair Wear during a tax audit.
Reasonable working hours
Our third focus is on the “reasonable working hours” standard. This stipulates that a certain number of regular working hours per week may not be exceeded and that a maximum of twelve hours of overtime may be worked. This must be done on a voluntary basis and rewarded with a premium salary. We rely on long-term and prudent production planning with fixed order and delivery times. Together with our production partners, we determine these months in advance in order to be able to guarantee forward-looking production. In addition, we are in constant and trusting communication with our production partners and can therefore also react to unforeseeable complications in production or delivery.
In order to understand the main causes of overtime and which factors play a role beyond production planning, we carried out a root cause analysis in five production sites in 2020. We can now incorporate the findings from this into our planning and, together with our suppliers, ensure that there is still less overtime.
All these measures mean that we can produce our clothing even more fairly and equitably. We are incredibly proud of this and are very happy to be able to walk the path to a better textile industry together with our customers.