We are open about the measures we currently take and what we can do to make sure we’re working in a fair and ethical manner. When we launched Joanie, we decided to work with suppliers who we’ve built close working relationships with over our combined 30 years’ experience in the clothing industry: we use manufacturers who have a reputation for producing quality goods to the best possible standards and these partnerships are based on trust and mutual understanding.

Although our team is still relatively small, we have huge ambitions when it comes to improving our practices and our environmental footprint. We work with sourcing and sustainability consultant Julia Redman, who guides us in making more educated decisions, and working with more environmentally minded suppliers.

SEDEX & SMETA

We are a SEDEX member organisation. This means that all of our suppliers are part of a global ethical data exchange platform that enables the sharing of company data and social and ethical audits amongst its members. This gives us access to a continually updated view of their audit status and business practices, including fair pay. The platform benefits the suppliers who join, too, by making them visible to other new potential customers, allowing them to further their growth.

100% of our suppliers are signed up to SEDEX, and any new suppliers we work with must also be SEDEX members. SEDEX ensures that our factories are audited against SMETA’s social auditing methodology. SMETA audits are carried out annually using the ETI Base Code and are conducted against two or four auditing pillars. 

As of December 2023, 100% of our suppliers hold 4-Pillar SMETA audits. A 4-Pillar SMETA audit is now the minimum requirement for any new suppliers we may work with in the future. You can read more about SMETA auditing practises on their website here.

We are working with our manufacturing partners to assess and develop their operations in ways that will help them improve their environmental impact and reduce waste. Initiatives to help them achieve this in their production facilities might include the following:

• Use of low-energy LED lighting & cooling systems;
• Recycling all waste paper, card, polythene, and fabric;
• Rainwater harvesting and recycling of water for factory use;
• Water-saving features such as push-button taps in bathrooms and kitchens;
• Installation of solar panels for energy, with excess energy being sold back to the national grid to generate additional income;
• Food waste from on-site canteens distributed to local farms for animal feed;
• Skylights to improve natural lighting in the factory environment.

We recognise that some of these initiatives are very simple to initiate, while others require time and investment, but it is a priority for us to reduce the carbon footprint across our network of producers. We are extremely proud of what we have achieved so far and have ambitious plans to further the development of the ethical and environmental credentials of our suppliers. 

We appreciate that we still have improvements to make and have already identified and are tackling the following areas within the design, development, and production process:

Negotiating Fair Prices and Agreeing Reasonable Lead Times:
We ensure that a fair price is reached and place a great deal of importance on ensuring that any price agreed is viable for both parties. Doing so means we can develop mutually successful and profitable partnerships. We work to realistic timescales for the production of our garments to ensure that the manufacturer is not placed under excessive pressure. Excessive pressure may cause factories to produce substandard goods or subcontract some of the production to other factories.

Ensuring our Code of Conduct is Understood & Stringently Followed:
All factories must abide by our written Code of Conduct. This is based on the principles within the ETI Base Code, which is founded on the conventions of the International Labour Organisation (ILO). The ILO is an internationally recognised code of labour practice. This will ensure that workers are being treated fairly, paid a fair wage, and are working in a clean, safe environment. The health and safety of our workforce is of the utmost importance to us, and we know how important it is to our customers. You can read our Code of Conduct here.

Our Code of Conduct must be signed as part of the terms of the contract and is clearly conveyed to all staff through our Joanie Supplier Manual. All Joanie products are inspected at the source by an independent quality assurance agency to ensure our standards are maintained. We work closely with our QA team, liaising with them weekly and requesting regular feedback on our factories, as well as frequent factory visits. 

The Modern Slavery Act was introduced by the UK Government in 2015. The act requires businesses to ensure that there is no modern slavery within the company or its supply chain. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) estimates that there are around 21 million people in forced labour, 14.2 million of which are in the manufacturing, agriculture, construction, and domestic sectors. Many workers are forced to work long hours for low wages, living in hostel-like conditions without the support of trade unions. Modern slavery within the supply chain can be difficult to identify, particularly as it is often invisible to those outside the business. 

We want to ensure that we are working with our existing and new manufacturers responsibly and ethically. We will take action wherever necessary to improve the way we work together by putting the focus on protecting vulnerable workers and being proactive in remedying any human rights violations. This includes a strict policy against subcontracting, a risk that arises when orders are placed for higher quantities and/or with a short lead time. We are very aware that there is a substantial risk of modern slavery and human trafficking within our industry. We are working with our supply chain to improve our current contract terms on the following points:

• Develop and improve workers’ conditions, including safety and human rights
• Communicate and support the achievement of compliance to our technical standards with all suppliers
• Encourage participation and input from our suppliers by asking what we can do to improve the way we work together ethically

We also recognise the other potential risks in the garment supply chain include:

• Temp/agency workers and migrant labour
• Workers not employed directly by us, therefore meaning we have less visibility
• Lower cost materials being sourced, potentially from untrustworthy sources
• Suppliers subcontract without permission (in breach of contract)
• Operating in high-risk regions
• Increasing order quantities without giving enough warning

We believe we have a moral duty to influence and incentivise ongoing improvements in the supply chain to ensure vulnerable workers are protected and not exploited. This includes issues with wages, working hours, living conditions, and health and safety. UK organisations should respect internationally recognised human rights wherever they operate and treat the risk of causing or contributing to human rights abuse as a legal compliance issue. We recognise the need to tackle and raise awareness of modern slavery, and we are committed to being a driving force for change in the fashion industry.

Following the reports of alleged human rights abuse, forced labour and discrimination of Uighurs living and working in Xinjiang Region of China, we have made it a strict company policy not to accept any cotton originating from the Xinjiang Region of China.

We have started to assess our carbon footprint when delivering goods and will be measuring the success of this over time. Where possible, we are committed to using sea freight to transport all of our shipments, and we will always try to avoid shipping stock from our manufacturers by air.

Joanie’s chosen warehouse partner for the fulfilment of orders is Torque Logistics, based in Leeds, UK. Torque recognises the responsibility they have to the environment and are committed to reducing their environmental impact across all of their operations. For more information and to view Torque’s environmental statement in full, please visit their website. 

Your Next Day Delivery parcels will arrive via DPD, the UK’s leader in sustainable delivery. They offer clean, green delivery by choosing electric vehicle fleets, having all-electric micro depots for emission-free delivery in cities, and ensuring that 100% of their energy comes from renewable sources. For more information on the DPD clean, green delivery plan, please visit their website.

We send our UK Standard Delivery parcels via Royal Mail, boasting the UK’s lowest reported gCO2e emissions per parcel of any major delivery company! They have been awarded triple certification by the Carbon Trust and have reduced carbon emissions by 6.9% per £1m revenue in the last year alone. Their network of over 85,000 postmen and women plays a key role in reducing emissions by delivering parcels by foot, and they have another 3000 electric vehicles set to join their fleet! Royal Mail is also working towards being a net-zero carbon business by 2050, a target that will be reviewed and brought forward if possible. For more information on the Royal Mail environmental policy, please visit their website.

Our web hosting partner, Sonassi, is part of the iomart group of companies who are committed to operating their business in an environmentally sensitive manner by incorporating green IT into their plans for the future. They are working closely with Rainforest Concern and Microsoft to provide data in the fight against deforestation. Iomart have pledged to donate £3m from sales of Office 365 licences to Rainforest Concern, helping them to purchase land to form protected forest areas. You can read more about Iomart’s environmental accreditations, including the ISO 50001 for Energy Management, on their website.