Fair Wear Leader: These are the results of our 2021 Brand Performance Check
The new Brand Performance Check by Fair Wear Foundation is live and we have once again been awarded the title of Leader with 97 out of 100 points in our third year! After a mixed year with many ups and downs, we want to present you with the results of our Brand Performance Check. To do this, we grilled our CSR Manager Florence with all the burning questions and asked her to summarize the results for you.
Florence, can you please explain what the Brand Performance Check is?
The Brand Performance Check is carried out for all members of the Fair Wear Foundation and is the most important element of the unique Fair Wear approach. The goal is to take joint responsibility for improving working conditions in the production of clothing, textiles and shoes. As part of the Brand Performance Check, Fair Wear examines the extent to which brands such as Dawn have integrated human rights due diligence into their business practices.
Every year, companies' progress is assessed with points and placed in the category that best reflects their performance: “Leader”, “Good” or “Needs Improvement”. Each Brand Performance Check is published online for transparency purposes, both on Dawn's website and on the Fair Wear website.
Could you please briefly summarize the results of our Brand Performance Check?
Dawn showed progress in the Fair Wear Foundation's performance requirements last year. We produce in our own factory in Vietnam. This allows us to analyze 100% of our production. The overall score of 97 means that Dawn once again receives the Leader status in the brand's third Brand Performance Check.
What does it mean to be a Fair Wear Leader?
The "Leader" category is intended for member companies that perform exceptionally well and operate at an advanced level. Leaders have responsible purchasing practices and demonstrate best practices in complex areas such as living- wages and freedom of association. They also continuously review their internal processes and their supply chain and regularly make improvements and adjustments.
In which areas did we perform particularly well and what are Dawn's strengths?
Dawn's entire production takes place at a single production facility that belongs to Dawn. This is quite unique compared to most (if not all) brands in the fashion industry. This makes it possible to work closely with the factory and prevent problems or resolve them without delay. Social standards can thus be more easily met. Dawn's purchasing and CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) teams are located at the same site as the production, and daily conversations take place between colleagues in Berlin and Saigon.
In addition, factory employees are given the opportunity to develop within the company. Factory workers are regularly trained on the Fair Wear Code of Labor Practices so that they know their rights. They also know how their wages are calculated, which is an important aspect of the Fair Wear requirements regarding wages.
What were the biggest challenges Dawn faced last year?
Last year, the previous CSR Manager left the company and her duties were taken over by Marian, the founder and CEO of Dawn. This proved to be a challenge and had some impact on the regularly required CSR work. At the factory level, there was a three-month lockdown in Vietnam due to the pandemic. As explained in the Brand Performance Check, this was a challenge, but all measures were taken to ensure the safety of the workers and to ensure that they received their wages. During this time, some overtime also fell immediately before and after the lockdown to first complete the deliveries and then resume work upon returning to the workplace.
The entire Dawn Vietnam team during a meeting during the Corona lockdown
In which areas do we still need to work and what can we improve?
Although our strengths lie in our unique supply chain, our weaknesses are the same as those of most brands and factories in the clothing industry. Overtime is still a structural problem in our factory that is difficult to solve. The factory is currently closely examining working hours, efficiency, and related parameters on our production lines. At the same time, Dawn is also working on developing new products and collections with a better timeline to reduce bottlenecks in the sampling phase. We also need to study the Fair Wear Working Hours Guidelines more closely to develop a long-term strategy on this topic.
Of course, there are still other topics that were not explicitly mentioned in the Brand Performance Check and where both Dawn and the factory see room for improvement: social dialogue, incorporating the gender perspective into all strategies and activities, etc., and of course environmental topics that are not covered by the Fair Wear membership.
You can read the entire Brand Performance Check here. We are not afraid to say that we are not perfect and that there is still a lot we want to improve. Sustainability and fairness are not just a goal, but above all a journey that continues on. If you have any questions about our Brand Performance Check or our production, feel free to email us anytime at hello@dawndenim.pro. We look forward to hearing from you!
