Our Social Responsibility
Fair compensation, fair treatment, and safe working environments for all the people involved in our supply chain is a non-negotiable. Every person involved is paid fairly along the entire process of turning a concept into the quality product that ultimately ends up in your hands!
We only work with partners that see eye to eye in the way we value people's time, hard work, and overall quality of life. Because we practice fair labor (absolutely no child labor, no bonded labor) you will see the fair wages reflected in our prices. Our products may not be dirt cheap, but we also don't take advantage of our people. That is not how we choose to run our business.
"After I come up with an idea and put pencil to paper in my sketchbook, there are so many incredible people involved in making my vision come to life. It goes something like this over the course of 1-2 years on ONE single style: fashion designers, technical designers, pattern makers, sample makers, material sourcers, fit models, product testers, inventory planner, fabric makers, fabric dyers, label, tag and bag designers, quality control checkers, production managers, sewing team, person who handles the logistics, creative director, shoot planner, models, photographer, copywriters, graphic designers, website manager, content creators, editors, social media managers, shippers, customer service reps etc. Everyone, no matter where they live or what role they play, deserves to be treated and compensated with respect."
- Cassey Ho, Founder/CEO + Head Designer
We require yearly manufacturer compliance checks conducted by amfori, a global business association whose purpose is to ensure sustainable trade in the supply chain environmentally, socially, and governmentally. The amfori Business Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI) is a business-driven initiative that we participate in, as we are committed to improving working conditions in any factory we partner with.
The 13 amfori Performance Areas
1. Social Management System and Cascade Effect
This refers to how we establish our codes of conduct and how we communicate it to each of our supply chain partners. We only work with partners who are just as committed to social responsibility as we are.
2. Workers Involvement and Protection
It is important that everyone who is involved in the creation of our products is aware of their rights. This includes providing a safe space and fair system for people to report issues.
3. The Rights of Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining
We respect trade unions and only work with partners who do not discriminate on any team member who has chosen to affiliate with a union.
4. No Discrimination
This should go without saying, but the fair and respectful treatment of workers is a non-negotiable. Each partner we work with has to have protections in place against harassment, including a detailed disciplinary process.
5. Fair Remuneration
Our products are not priced dirt cheap and the reason why is this: we pay fair wages across the board. Each manufacturer we work with is audited and must show that they are paying their workers above the minimum living wage set by the industry or the government. We value people's time and quality of life, no matter what role they play in our supply chain.
6. Decent Working Hours
The best products are made by a well-rested and healthy team. That means we have set work hours (as defined by national laws and industry standards), and nobody involved in our supply chain is forced to work more than 48 hours per week (with exceptions by the International Labour Organization). This includes making sure there is time for breaks during the day and days off each week, in addition to overtime pay.
7. Occupational Health and Safety
We believe in providing a healthy working environment for everyone involved in the making of our products. This includes following national occupational laws and safety legislation to ensure there are protocols in place in the event of an injury, in addition to providing access to safe drinking water, food and food storage, free PPE etc.
8. No Child Labour
To protect children from exploitation (which sadly still happens when not monitored), we will never partner with any supplier who employs workers under the age of 15.
9. Special Protection for Young Workers
For any workers aged 15-24, we make sure that their working hours do not interfere with any schooling or educational opportunities. This includes limiting night hours.
10. No Precarious Employment
Every manufacturer we partner with needs to have a safe and supportive work environment. This includes following national and local employment laws, providing workers with adequate employment information such as a company handbook in their native language, and allowing flexible working conditions for parents or caregivers.
11. No Bonded, Forced Labour or Human Trafficking
We absolutely do not tolerate forced labor, indenture, trafficking or state-imposed forced labor. Everyone on our team and throughout our supply chain should be part of the POPFLEX journey because they choose to be.
12. Protection of the Environment
We follow national and or international guidelines around environmental protection, and are dedicated to lowering any negative impact our business is having on the environment. Read more about our sustainability journey here.
13. Ethical Business Behavior
We operate above board and with transparency. Aka no corruption, bribery, extortion or embezzlement is tolerated. This also extends to how we handle customer data - making sure we have the right systems in place to protect you and your privacy.
*The 13 Performance Area descriptions are adapted from amfori.org
As we grow as a company, and vet new manufacturing partners — they need to provide evidence that they are just as committed to social responsibility as we are. Our main manufacturing partner is CTPAT (Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism) certified which means we aren’t doing funny things and that our practices are officially approved by the US government.
We work with different manufacturers all over the world, but a bulk of our products are carefully crafted by talented patternmakers, seamstresses and garment industry experts mainly located in Asia.
We are so grateful to each person who helps bring our products to life. There is no way we could be able to do what we do without the incredible talent that has come together, all over the world, to bring you the POPFLEX that you know and love.
