A lot of brands claim they don’t use sweatshop or child labour in the production of their footwear, clothing or sporting goods. They might refer to their ‘Codes of Conduct’ or claim that they have visited the factory and everything was fine. The problem is ‘Codes of Conduct’ are often ignored and visits to factories are often ‘guided’. We have met people from the fashion industry who have visited factories in Asia and have reported being shocked by what they saw when they strayed from the guided tours.
At Etiko we also visit our suppliers. However, we prefer it if a 3rd party can independently verify any claims that we make. As a result we only work with producers who are either certified Fairtrade or Non-Sweatshop. The one exception to this rule are the Worker Owned Co-operatives that we work with. These Co-ops are often under-resourced and don’t have the funds to pay for audits. However, given that Worker Co-operatives are a potent tool for economic and social reform we believe that they deserve our support. |
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Fairtrade – (FLO Certification) The manufacturer of our sneakers is a certified Fairtrade manufacturer. As a result they need to abide by Fairtrade Label Organisation’s “Standards for Hired Labour” the most comprehensive set of standards in the world designed to protect the rights of workers. Products that carry a Fairtrade label have been certified that their manufacturing process meets certain social, economic and environmental standards. The manufacturer of the Etiko range has agreed to meet the expectations of the Fairtrade Labelling Organization (FLO) and to co-operate fully with their monitoring teams when they visit. The price ESP P/L (the company behind the Etiko range) pays for the Etiko sports balls and sneakers includes a fair-trade premium of 20% (though FLO only requires it to be 15%). This premium is used for improvement of the socio-economic situation of the workers, their families and communities. As required by FLO the Fairtrade premium funds are administered in a transparent and democratic manner. Workers and management decide jointly on the use of the premium and their priority to date has been to fund a health care scheme for all those involved in ball and sneaker manufacturing AND their families - an absolute first for this type of production. Other priorities for the steering committee have included the funding of a pre-school and after-school programs as well as a growing micro-credit program. This provides workers and their families with the opportunity to reduce their dependency on (seasonal) orders for footballs, and at the same time add to the growth of the village economy. To date these have included small retail outlets, a welding workshop and laundromat as well as animal stock and irrigation pumps for the fields. |
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Forest Stewardship Council Certification (FSC Certified) The natural rubber sole of our Etiko sneakers is sourced from a plantation in Sri Lanka, where rubber is produced in a sustainable and responsible manner. No trees are cut down Environmental protection and social requirements for the workers are equal concerns of the management, in both the harvesting and the manufacturing process. As a result we help fund community development projects. For this reason our sneakers carry the logo of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC © 1996, Cert.-Nr. IMO-COC 25582) on the sole. FSC works to ensure the protection of forests worldwide and to support responsible forest management practices. |
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Halal Accreditation The complete Etiko range has received Halal Accreditation through the Australian Federation of Islamic Council. This is based on the fact that all our products are produced “through fair trade & ethical means conforms to Shariah requirements and therefore considered to be Halal. Please note that no Etiko product contains any animal ingredients. |
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