18 Towards a sustainable profitability
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OWN PRODUCTION UNITS New Wave Group owns a few production units . The glasswork in Kosta supplies Orrefors and Kosta Boda with premium utility and art glass . Seger has its knitting factory in Röshult where the production has been based since the company was founded in 1947 and in Poland Toppoint has a printing unit for pens and mugs . Ahead and Cutter & Buck have some production in terms of embroidery . In-house production has the benefit of direct influence , which gives us even better opportunities to work with sustainability .
INTERNATIONAL ACCORD FOR HEALTH AND SAFETY IN THE GARMENT AND TEXTILE INDUSTRY The original Accord – or the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh – came into force in 2013 , only weeks after the Rana Plaza disaster where a factory building collapsed . New Wave Group signed the agreement , which was a legally binding five-year agreement for improved safety in the textile industry in Bangladesh with focus on structural , electrical and fire safety . The agreement meant , among other things , that factories undergo electrical and building inspections as well as training and education in fire safety .
The Accord brough important changes that would not otherwise have been possible in such a short period of time , but when the agreement expired it was a fact that still a lot of work remained to secure all necessary measures before the follow-up work could be handed over to the local government and authorities . Therefore , the so-called Transition Agreement entered into force in may
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2018 with a clear handover phase . New Wave Group signed the new agreement , which lasted until May 2021 .
After long negotiations the Transition Agreement was in September 2021 replaced by the International Accord , which New Wave Group has also signed . There are mainly two differences compared with previous agreements : On one part it is not just about fire and building safety anymore but also about the general work environment . On the other part it is an international agreement thar can be implemented also in other production countries , hence the name change . The Accord directly affects two million workers , making it one of our most important social responsibility project . Read more on www . internationalaccord . org
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AUDITS AND VISITS DURING THE CORONA PANDEMIC The spread of COVID-19 have had big impact on our contracted suppliers , for example with factory closures and changed order backlogs as a result . This affects workers throughout the global supply chain . During the year , it has been difficult to visit and follow up on our suppliers according to our normal routines and we have had to find other ways to support the factories .
Amfori BSCI have communicated guidelines on responsible purchasing practices during the corona pandemic . As emphasized by amfori BSCI : Responsible purchasing methods are to only way to ensure that business relationships and operations can be strengthened in times of crisis - and at the same time protecting human rights . To the best of our ability , New Wave Group follow these guidelines .
In addition , we have communicated guidelines with generally recognized measures to our factories to ensure a safe working environment for workers and to prevent the spread of COVID-19 . For those auditors who conduct audits , amfori BSCI has also included guidelines for identifying any irregularities that have occurred as a direct result of COVID-19 .
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98 %
98 % of the purchasing volume through the purchasing offices are from third-party audited factories .
GRADES FROM THIRD-PARTY AUDITS
1 . 78 % ( 77 %) Improvements needed ( BSCI C )
2 . 10 % ( 9 %) Outstanding and good result ( BSCI + B , SA8000 )
3 . 6 % ( 5 %) SMETA 4 . 6 % ( 7 %) Other ( WRAP , WCA , ESEP , QCA )
5 . 1 % ( 2 %) deviations from the requirements ( BSCI D )
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C
C is the most common grade in an amforiaudit , graded on a scale from A-F .
In an amfori-audit , 13 different areas are assessed , corresponding to the requirements in the Code of Conduct .