OTHER IMPORTANT INITIATIVES
ACCORD ON FIRE AND BUILDING SAFETY IN BANGLADESH
In 2014, New Wave Group signed the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, a legal five year agreement to improve the safety of textile factories in Bangladesh, with focus on building construction, electrical- and fire safety. Many important changes have taken place during this time, but still a lot of work remains. Therefore, a new agreement will take place in May 2018 when the current Accord expires. New Wave Group signed the new agreement in November 2017.
The Accord is an important investment for New Wave Group and our operations in Bangladesh. We are happy to be part of the initiative and witness the solid improvements taking place on the factory floor. The Ready Made Garment industry is very important to the Bangladeshi economy and their single biggest Export income. The Accord directly affects two million workers, making it one of the greatest social initiatives in modern time.
FAIR LABOUR ASSOCIATION New Wave Group is also associated with Fair Labour Association( FLA) through our subsidiary Cutter & Buck. Our FLA commitment applies to all suppliers producing for the American market. FLA is an independent organization working with social accountability, comparable to amfori BSCI. Each year, FLA will handpick suppliers from our supply chain to be audited for social compliance. The audit reports will be published on the FLA website for you to take active part in the progress and findings of individual factories.
C-TPAT
American suppliers are also obliged to participate in our work for safe transportation and anti-terrorism. The Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism( C-TPAT) is a voluntary initiative of U. S. Customs and Border Protection( CBP) to build relationships that strengthen international supply chains and improve U. S. border security. CBP organizes regular visits to our suppliers for on-site inspections. Although C-TPAT is not linked to the traditional CSR topics, it demonstrates how multiple stakeholders are monitoring our supply chain.
WORKING FOR PROGRESS Improving working conditions requires more than monitoring. It also means to challenge cultural differences and to find solutions that will lead to long-term sustainability. Sometimes, this will require communication on a higher level than with individual suppliers. Therefore, an important mission for our CSR-team is also to participate in local forums and roundtable discussions.
For example, we participate in the amfori BSCI National Group three times per year. Another important forum is Buyers Forum in Bangladesh, which is organized by World Bank Group IFC-SEDF. The forum consists of well-known fashion brands and together we put pressure on both suppliers and politicians. For example, the forum wrote a letter to the government in Bangladesh regarding the question of minimum wage.
Since 2016, New Wave Group is also a part of CCR CSR’ s( Save Children’ s Sustainability Center in China) Virtual Youth Development Working Group. Here we get further knowledge, education and advice on how children and young people are affected in the global supply chain.
CONTIONOUS IMPROVEMENTS We strive for continuous improvements and step-by-step actions. Through regular visits and communication, we attempt to discover findings in time or to suggest actions that could lead to business improvements.
Everything is not perfect. Sometimes we identify non-compliances to what we expect from our supplies. If we discover findings, we prefer to develop an action plan in order to bring the supplier back to an acceptable standard, rather than to end our cooperation. By such means, New Wave Group can achieve the highest compliance levels while contributing to social development in the countries of production. That is taking responsibility in our opinion.
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