October 27, 2019

White Stuff UK

We love White Stuff’s ranges! Everything from a basic t-shirt to a Christmas dress, has a certain White Stuff charm. We don’t stock their ranges just because they’re cute though, White Stuff stands for more than that.

White Stuff’s core value is creating responsibly. They aim to make a meaningful difference to the world , enhance communities, connect people and create products in a way that benefits those the wider community.

Charity Work

They work with 132 small local charities every year to fund raise in stores, and they donate 1% of profits to charities. To date have given over 3 million pounds to their partner charities. They also created the Made For Change Initiative, which supports scholarships in India. Profits from their Made For Change Bags fund scholarships for the children of their factory workers in India. In the last 5 years they have supported over 1300 scholarships!

Working Conditions

That is just one of the ways White Stuff UK have improved conditions in their supply chain. They have been members of the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) since 2013. The ETI is an organisation that brings retailers together in a shared commitment to improving conditions within supply chains.

White Stuff have used ETI’s Base Code of labour practice to form their own Code of Conduct. This details the requirements that must be met in all factories making White Stuff products.

The code of conduct includes:

Meeting legal requirements within that country.
No discrimination within recruitment policies.
No forced or child labour- The minimum age of employment in any White Stuff factory is 14 years old. There is no forced labour of any kind including prison labour, indenture or bonded labour.
Fair wages and hours- Fair wages are enough to meet basic needs and allow for some discretionary spending. They also ensure that production is planned in a manner that limits overtime for a healthy work life balance.
Safe working environment- All factories must ensure respectful, dignified and safe working conditions free from harassment or abuse of any kind. All working environments must be well lit, ventilated, and well maintained. Any factories providing living accommodation must keep these clean and safe.
Factories must comply with environmental laws and regulations for waste management, handling and disposing of chemicals and other dangerous materials .
Freedom of Association- worker must be free to form or join associations and factories must not interfere with their right to peacefully associate, organise or bargain collectively.

White Stuff have Auditors, thoroughly trained in the companies policies, inspect the factories on a regular basis. The factories must demonstrate that they are in compliance with the code of conduct, but auditors also talk to workers and gaining a deeper insight into their working lives.

They intend to push this work further in coming years and ensure this code of practice in implanted further down the supply chain. White Stuff also publish yearly Modern Slavery Statement.

Sustainable Cotton

White Stuff have a commitment to only use sustainable cotton by 2024. This means all their cotton products will be organic, and they are also committing to fair trade. They have a three year agreement with fair trade, starting with them committing to buying 100 metric tonnes of Fairtrade cotton and increasing this amount year on year.

White Stuff also prohibit the use of cotton grown in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan due to both countries having a recent history of using forced labour during the harvest season.

Animal Products

The White Stuff doesn’t stop there, they have product standards when it comes animal products. Only animal by-products such as leather and suede can be used in White Stuff products, and no animals can be breed for their hides. The have a strict no rabbit fur and prohibit any live plucking of animals. In 2013 they also removed angora from all of their products due to public concern. They stated the following

We currently use Angora wool in some of our accessories and clothing ranges and we are confident in our supplier certification and subsequent investigation which has assured us of their compliance with the ethical sourcing of the Angora wool we use. However, in response to recent customer concern, we have decided to cease all production using Angora, as we look to replace this with innovative, sustainable and ethically sourced alternatives.
White Stuff , 2013

They do not used endangered species or fur. there is no feathers or Down used due to the potential risk of them coming form non-credible sources White Stuff also don’t test any of their skincare and cosmetic products on animals.

White Stuff are committed to ensuring all animal fibres that are used come from from reputable suppliers, practising good animal husbandry. This includes the sheep wool, alpaca, cashmere and mohair. They use the five freedoms to ensure all animals have a happy and healthy life. They do not use Merino wool from farms who practice mulesing.