We want to extend our commitment to the stakeholders we work with, especially raw material suppliers operating in areas where there is the greatest risk of unfair labor treatment.

Our recent visits to suppliers’ factories confirm that our partners also want to play an active role in the process. Additional support comes from the sustainability policies launched by countries such as China, which have introduced more stringent standards for working conditions, on pain of factory closure. 

In recent years, many Asian countries have also made significant progress in terms of gender equality and ensuring fair contractual and salary conditions for employees. The first step in starting or renewing a partnership with a supplier includes a visit from one of our consultants or raw materials researchers, who checks the quality of the fabrics and the presence of the minimum working conditions. Conditions that have been verified and evaluated as more than satisfactory in countries such as China and Vietnam, especially in small companies. They range from the presence of background music; to the possibility of taking breaks on the production lines; to the regulation, granting, and payment of overtime hours.

Other aspects that deserve to be underlined derive directly from the Labor Contract Law of the People’s Republic of China, which establishes obligations such as a minimum age of 18 for employees and protects them in the stipulation of fixed-term and open-ended employment contracts.

At Karpos, we are closely following these legal aspects, and at the same time we invite companies producing raw materials to act responsibly toward society and their local employees.