Responsibility begins long before the finished garment.
A HAKRO product is not made in one place. It is created through the collaboration of many people along a global supply chain. That is why we consider not only what we produce, but also how we work together
Why Fair Wear?
Human rights risks in global supply chains cannot be resolved at the push of a button. They require transparency, long-term partnerships, a willingness to address problems openly and the courage not to shy away from complex issues. This is precisely where Fair Wear supports us.
Developing solutions together
Many challenges in global supply chains affect more than individual companies. Within the Fair Wear network, we share experiences and discuss approaches to addressing complex issues together.
Learning from other brands
Fair Wear provides a space for open exchange between member companies. Whether discussing supply chain management, complaints or new regulatory requirements, looking beyond our own perspective helps us explore these topics further.
Expertise and support
Through training, workshops and expert guidance, we gain access to up-to-date knowledge on human rights due diligence and its practical implementation.
Transparency and context
The annual Brand Performance Check helps us regularly reflect on our processes and track our development over the years.
Collaboration on an equal footing
We believe that long-term change happens above all where trust grows. We have worked with many of our direct production partners for many years. Long-term business relationships enable the open dialogue needed to address issues such as health and safety in the workplace, grievance mechanisms, freedom of association and living wages together.
We see our suppliers not only as producers, but as partners. That is why we are no longer the only ones assessing our production partners. Our production partners can also give us feedback and assess their collaboration with HAKRO.
What Fair Wear means in practice at HAKRO
Fair Wear supports us throughout the human rights due diligence process. This includes, among other things:
Understanding risks
Understanding risks
We regularly analyse risks in our supply chain and continuously develop our risk analysis.
Handling complaints and concerns
Handling complaints and concerns
Through the Fair Wear complaints mechanism, workers at production facilities can submit concerns and complaints. These help us to better understand challenges on the ground and work together on solutions.
Reviewing progress
Reviewing progress
Once a year, Fair Wear assesses our work as part of the Brand Performance Check. This examines how we integrate human rights due diligence into our business processes.
Creating transparency
Creating transparency
The results of the Brand Performance Check are published and are available for anyone interested to view.
Sustainable purchasing practices as the basis of our collaboration
Our collaboration with our production partners goes beyond contracts, prices and orders. It encompasses many different aspects, from risk analyses, grievance mechanisms, training and audits to long-term partnerships. The way we purchase, plan and work together can also have a direct impact on conditions at production facilities.
That is why we follow the five principles of the Common Framework for Responsible Purchasing Practices (CFRPP). They support us in shaping purchasing decisions, production planning and business relationships in a long-term, collaborative and transparent way. The five principles form an important part of our collaboration with production partners and our human rights due diligence.
The Brand Performance Check
The Brand Performance Check does not assess individual products or production facilities. Instead, it assesses how a company addresses human rights risks, which processes have been established and how collaboration with production partners is structured.
Since joining Fair Wear, our progress has been reviewed annually and published in the Brand Performance Check Report. Over the past three years, HAKRO has been awarded Leader status, Fair Wear’s highest rating.
The Brand Performance Check helps us to regularly review our approaches, make progress visible and identify areas where there is further potential for improvement.
The Fair Wear complaints mechanism
An important part of Fair Wear membership is its independent complaints mechanism. Workers at production facilities can use it to report concerns, issues or complaints directly to Fair Wear.
This feedback helps to better understand challenges on the ground and to work with the partners involved to find appropriate solutions. For us, such feedback is an important part of continuous improvement processes and human rights due diligence.
A journey, not a destination
Our experience over the past few years has shown us one thing above all:
Human rights due diligence is not a project with an end date. It is not about ticking a box. It is about asking questions, listening, learning from challenges and continuously developing processes.
That is precisely why, for us, Fair Wear is not a label on a product, but an important part of our work on human rights due diligence and long-term partnerships in the supply chain.