The DPDB Group has many years of relationships with the factories where our garments are developed and manufactured every day. To improve the social and environmental aspects within the factories and regions where production takes place, our long-lasting relationships and consistent cooperation are of great importance.
As a signatory to the Dutch Textile Covenant, the risks are identified by means of due diligence to manage potential adverse effects in our own operations and supply chains. It is an ongoing process that must be carried out for every order, production location, material and process. With this method, the DPDB Group tries to prevent, reduce and eliminate risks in the supply chain. In addition, through our CR strategy we make objectives every year so we can continue to take steps on both social and environmental aspects. The entire DPDB organization is involved in our CR strategy, so that purchasing practices are also adjusted to the objectives. In addition, all factories have signed our code of conduct so that it is clear to everyone what we expect from each other in terms of both social and environmental aspects.
In recent years, the factories in Bangladesh have improved in areas of construction and fire safety, but millions of workers in Bangladesh have also been trained to know their rights regarding safe working conditions. As a member of the Bangladesh Accord, we fully support the goal of continuing the work and, together with other signatories, being able to make a difference for the workers in the factories.
To be able to better monitor and help the factories we work with in both social and environmental aspects, we set up an office in Bangladesh with a local CR team in 2019. The CR team checks the factories through their own internal audit. The audits occur both announced and unannounced. We do this so that we can maintain transparency during all aspects of the production process. We also do this to make sure that the orders are actually produced in these factories.
The following aspects are checked during our internal audits:
– Full disclosure of the production location
– Full transparency with regard to factory conditions
– No forced and/or bound labor
– Prevention of child labor
– Fair wages and prevention of excessive working hours
– No serious health and safety risks
– Ethical business conduct
In the area of the environment and sustainable raw materials, we have also taken several steps in recent years. Our Restricted Substances List (RSL) determines the use of chemicals and is signed by all our manufacturers. We control the use by randomly testing production substances, waste water and sludge from our factories. In addition, all our manufacturers are entering the Amfori BEPI system step by step, which means they see even more opportunities to save and become more sustainable.
