Corporate Responsibility

DAKS SIMPSON LIMITED
(company number 02508094)

 


ETHICAL TRADE

(1)        ETI Base Code

We are members of the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI), an organisation we joined in 2010. ETI is a leading alliance of companies, trade unions and voluntary organisations that promotes respect for workers' rights around the globe.. The ETI Base Code is an internationally recognised code of labour practice founded on the conventions of the International Labour Organisation. To learn more about ETI and what it means to be a member, visit http://www.ethicaltrade.org/. The ETI Base Code sets out the following standards:

  1. Employment is freely chosen
  2. Freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining are respected
  3. Working conditions are safe and hygienic
  4. Child labour shall not be used
  5. Living wages are paid
  6. Working hours are not excessive
  7. No discrimination is practised
  8. Regular employment is provided
  9. No harsh or inhumane treatment is allowed.

(2)        Internal Governance Structure

We are committed to the ETI Base Code internally and our ETI Working Group is made up of our senior staff including our legal counsel, head of product and licensing and our general manager in London who meet regularly to review our adherence to the ETI Base Code and to consider any risks as needed. The ETI Working Group reports to the managing director who is committed to ensuring that our work with ETI is adhered to and regularly reviewed, and that our suppliers adhere to the ETI Base Code.

(3)        Our Suppliers

As a member of the ETI, we are required to ensure that all of our suppliers commit to a code of practice covering clear and measurable standards related to wages, working conditions and employment rights. We have a supplier code of conduct found here and we communicate our standards to suppliers and factories including the code of the conduct which is based on the ETI Base Code.

Many of our suppliers we have had a long term commitment with doing business. This is part of our strategy to commit to establishing long term relationships with our suppliers to ensure that they share our business values and approach to sustainable and responsible business, including their commitment to the ETI Base Code.

Our new suppliers must fill out a full self assessment questionnaire to ensure that they have in practices to comply with our practices and policies including the ETI Base Code. We also in doing so, address any risks which we monitor throughout our arrangements with each supplier to their commitment to the ETI Base Code.  Ongoing, we carry out audit visits and send annual self assessment questionnaires to check suppliers are in still compliance with the ETI Base Code after their initial onboarding and we carry out any training if needed. We also ask suppliers to put the ETI Base Code on their premises and reminder for all within the organisation. Most of our suppliers have their own certificates and compliance with various ethical initiatives of their own.

Each supplier agrees to uphold the ETI Base Code and our partner agreements reflect these obligations. DAKS is prepared to take action against any supplier who fails to meet these standards and in more serious cases this may involve termination of the relationship.

The products we source are those associated with the making of Men’s and Women’s clothing collections. As a Heritage Tailoring brand producing both Men’s and Women’s collections these are primarily Tailored items such a Jackets , Suits and Trousers. To complement these we have Outerwear, Shirts, Knitwear and associated Accessories. Our suppliers are based in Italy and the UK and we alternate between the 2 markets depending on the product category. As manufacturing units these are principally classic production lines with specific tasks being completed as the product comes down the line. In some cases the production can be broken into smaller groups responsible together for the production of each garment. The workers in both instances tend to be predominantly women. Our intention is always to build long term mutually beneficial working relationships. Where we have had to make changes these are usually driven by the needs of the supplier rather than through our choice. In both markets our partners tend to be small/medium sized enterprises , usually family owned in which several generations are involved.

Our supply chain is not very large, and is situated in the UK and Italy as set out below, which shows the location of each of our tier one suppliers.

 DAKS SIMPSON LTD - TIER 1 SUPPLIERS
The supplier list includes all tier 1 factory sites and accounts for 100% of our finished goods for DAKS SIMPSON LTD Retail.
 Factory Name Full Address Country Product Type Length of relationship with supplier 
Alex Begg & Company 17 Viewfield Rd. , Ayr , KA8 8HJ Scotland UK Scarves 10 +
Chrysalis Clothes Ltd Harlow House , Shelton House , Corby , NN17 5XH , Northants  UK Outerwear / Coats 2
Gesta srl Unipersonale  Via Leonardo da Vinci, Vinci / Sovigliana , (FI) 50059 , Firenze ITALY Outerwear / Coats 2
Knitster Ltd Unit 5 , Leyton Studio , 15 Argall Avenue , E107QE UK Knitwear 1
MAES London 2nd Floor , The Archives , Unit 10 High Cross Centre , Foutayne Road , N15 4BE UK Ladies Separates 3
Sergi srl Via Cavallo 71 , Tiggiano , (LE) 73030 , Lecce ITALY Men's Tailoring  1
Specchia Moda srl Via Degli Artigiani , Lotto 23 , Ruffano , (LE) 73049 , Lecce ITALY Ladies Separates 10
Melanto Confezioni srl ZI Lotto 28 , 73049 (LE)@ Lecce  ITALY Men's Trousers 1
Planet Italia srl Unipersonale Edo Camiceria, Via Guglielmi, 9bis, 74015 Martina Franca (TA) , Taranto  ITALY Men's Shirts 1
Lock & Co St James's Street 6 , London , SW1A 1EF UK Hats & Caps 5
M&F srl Via Torrioni 33 , 22100 Como  ITALY Silk Scarves 3
Inlimited srl Via PU Frasca , C/O Centro Dama 7/b , 66100 Chieti  ITALY Jersey Tshirts 1

 

(4)        Risk Identification and Assessment

Risks in our supply chain are identified and monitored in the following ways:

  • The ETI Working Group meet regularly to identify and monitor risk;
  • Self-Assessment Questionnaires are sent to our suppliers annually to ensure that nothing has changed since their last assessment on risk;
  • Audits are carried out when visits are made to the supplier premises;
  • Training on our staff;
  • Familiarising and researching through internet tools on risks in our countries of supply.
  • Mapping and updating our supply chain;

We prioritise risks against the following criteria:

  • The number of people affected.
  • Their significance to our operations.
  • The impact of the risks.
  • Whether we have the influence to affect change.

We presently only operate in the UK and Italy.

Regarding our work in Italy, due to the harsher living conditions and struggles at the moment in Italy for smaller supply chain companies to prosper, there are some concerns that could be identified as potential risks as follows:

(a)        ETI Base Code principle 5 – Living wages are paid.

This risk could be incurring in the second tier supply chain where the products are being manufactured in Italy. This risk is that as the factories are quite small they could be struggling and could look to pay workers less. In order to minimise such risk, we intend to engage more with employees on site visits and talk to the second tier supply chain to ensure that this risk is monitored.

(b)       ETI Base Code principle 6 – Working hours are not excessive.

This risk could be incurring in the second tier supply chain where the products are being manufactured in Italy. This risk is that as the factories are quite small they could be struggling and could look to have employees work more hours to meet demands with trying to save costs of labour. In order to minimise such risk, we intend to engage more with employees on site visits and talk to the second tier supply chain to ensure that this risk is monitored.

(c)        ETI Base Code principle 8 – Regular employment is provided.

This risk could be incurring in the second tier supply chain where the products are being manufactured in Italy. This risk is that as the factories are quite small they could be struggling and could look to pay workers less and therefore not provide them with regular employment. In order to minimise such risk, we intend to engage more with employees on site visits and talk to the second tier supply chain to ensure that this risk is monitored.

(5)        Collective action and collaboration

Collective action and collaboration are vital to driving improvement into global supply chains. We are working with our suppliers through external partnerships to bring about positive change. The ETI Working Group is working to identify external partners who can collaborate with us to deliver action plans for our salient risks, including NGOs and Trade Unions.

DAKS understands and accepts the right of our own employees and suppliers to access their right to freedom of association and collective bargaining in compliance with national laws and international standards. When we sign up suppliers we make them aware of the principles of the ETI Base Code including principle 2  ”Freedom  of Association and the Right to Collective Bargaining are Respected”. We are in the process of collating information on trade union representation, of which some is already given in our supplier questionnaires, among our suppliers to help provide support where needed, so we can promote these rights. In the meantime, we adhere to the following guidelines:

  • All employees have the right to join or form trade unions of their own choosing and to bargain collectively.
  • We have an open attitude towards the activities of trade unions and their organisational activities.
  • We do not discriminate against and if required allow representative functions to visit the workplace.
  • We acknowledge that worker dialogue mechanisms are essential for good working conditions, preventing disputes and reducing inequality.
  • We allow employees to join or form trade unions without interference.
  • We encourage collective bargaining enables these unions to negotiate terms and conditions of employment with employers on behalf of workers.
  • We are working to break barriers that can hinder these rights.

PRODUCTS

Our products are currently sourced from suppliers in the European Union. These suppliers are important to us and we choose our partners carefully with great care, with emphasis on long-term relationships. We recognise the importance of sourcing raw materials responsibly. We expect all companies throughout our supply chain to meet high ethical trading standards, from the cultivation of raw materials through to factory production and beyond.


ANIMAL WELFARE

We recognise the importance of operating to high ethical principles and practices that require animals in our supply chain to be treated with care and respect. We continue to work with our suppliers to have full traceability of our supply chain and to ensure that our values and principles are implemented and upheld.


ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

We believe that it is essential that both as a company and as individuals we should operate in an environmentally conscious manner. Our objective is to minimise the impact of our business activity on the environment wherever possible including recycling at our Head Office and in our stores, reducing water consumption and wastage and avoiding unnecessary travel. You can find out Environmental and Sustainable Policy here https://daks.com/pages/environmental-sustainability-policy


CHARITIES WE SUPPORT

HRH THE Duke of Edinburgh Award

We are a Silver Partner of HRH The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, the Charity that gives young people from all backgrounds the chance to have a successful and rewarding future.

The Pony Club

We are also long-term supporters of The Pony Club, the Charity and international voluntary youth organisation for those interested in horses, ponies and riding, sponsoring the annual International Mounted Games Championship at the Royal Windsor Horse Show.

This document was last reviewed June, 2024.