The importance of ethical compliance in fashion

People are at the heart of all that we do and working together to create an environment that is positive, humane and ethical for all those who are involved, is an imperative part of our ethos and culture at Elite Labels. As a large organisation, we strive to uphold and maintain ethical practices that set a standard for the rest of the fashion industry.

This blog post will detail what ethical compliance in fashion is, why it’s important for organisations to be actively involved in better ethical compliance and how ethical fashion affects everyone.

What is ethical compliance?

Ethical compliance generally refers to a company conforming and operating within the laws and regulations, following rules set out by the government for businesses. A broader understanding of compliance is also focusing on employees adhering to internal rules of a business, as well as companies facilitating conditions to which employees are able to ethically carry out their job.

A number of large businesses will often have entire departments dedicated to ethical compliance, to ensure that the company conforms with the laws and regulations that the government has set out, and due to the extensive and wide range of laws companies are subject to, this can be a large task. Many companies also regularly undergo compliance training, which can expose employees to the relevant laws and regulations that the company is subject to.

Why is ethical compliance important?

While many people can assume that adhering to rules and regulations should just be as easy as following a checklist, ethical compliance is about ensuring there is no corruption within an organisation and making sure there are sufficient procedures in place to negate the risks of bribery and corruption, both in your organisation and in business relationships.

It’s important because:

1. It creates a good company culture. Employees want to work for a business they can trust. Feeling safe, valued and respected is an important part of a job and something everything wants.
   
2. Misconduct decreases. When you adhere to a set guideline and outline expectations of fair treatment and ethical behaviour, it sets the tone for the rest of the business to follow and be held towards.
   
3. Increases productivity. Research has shown us that upholding ethical practices enhances better performance, especially when the code of conduct aligns with an employee’s personal values.

The highest ethical standards at Elite Labels

Through the help of various ethical auditing companies such as Fast Forward, we pride ourselves in building and maintaining ethical supply chains from the very beginning of your items journey.

We’re also Disney FAMA certified, meaning we are committed to continuously monitoring the safety and integrity of our products and reducing the environmental footprints of our supply chain.

We promote stringent governance and risk management programs, focused on mitigating risk and meeting external regulations and laws, keeping our workplaces a safe environment for every employee.

Commitment to sustainability for mere public goodwill is not enough. But how to distinguish one from the other? The key is not simply adhering to regulations and standards, but also talking about compliance in a transparent and verifiable way.

Jason Arrowsmith, Compliance, Health & Safety Manager explains: “We know our clients want to work with a business that values and puts ethics above everything and that creating a positive social impact starts with ourselves.”

“Elite Labels has full production, management and quality control systems across all our global sites. This is so that when we’re audited by Fast Forward, Disney FAMA or Primark, it’s not just a case of saying we have the right processes and checks in place, but more importantly that we’re able to demonstrate this.”

“It could be as simple as making sure we have a copy of our staff’s right to work file, or more recently, that we can demonstrate that we have covid secure working environment. In compliance, details are important. The audits highlight points that will help us become a leader in the field of ethical trading and manufacturing”.