Written by: Stephen Moglia, Business Development Manager

Sustainability, green fashion, circular economy: we hear and see those words almost everywhere now. They multiply with the growing interest of consumers and companies for the environmental impacts of the industry. In fact, the textile industry has become the second most polluting industry in the world, right after oil, as stated at the sixth edition of the Copenhagen Fashion Summit last May. Globalised, complex, including a wide range of techniques, the textile industry affects the planet on many different levels, including very sensitive areas such as water, air pollution, chemicals, electricity consumption or waste. Being aware of the impacts of production processes has now become essential.

Moreover, damaging the environment also has an impact on humans, whether it is the workers, the consumers or people leaving nearby a factory. Cotton illustrates this in a tragic way. It is a very affordable fabric, widely used to make inexpensive clothes. To boost the production and fight the worms that attack the plants, a lot of farmers worldwide use pesticides. Those pesticides contain extremely toxic substances such as metals (aluminium, nickel, lead), barium or ethion that was banned in Europe. Farmers, in contact with those chemicals can get more cancer, liver and kidney diseases. The chemicals also cause freshwater pollution affecting a wider range of people. Hopefully more and more farmers are turning to organic cotton that is more respectful of the environment and uses no such pesticides. (Article Reference)

Another example is chrome tanning that was also banned from Europe for being too toxic. This tanning is faster, easier than other techniques. However, the leather is weaker and doesn’t last as long, thus creating more waste. Chrome is a heavy metal and damages the environment in the same kind of way pesticides do. It infiltrates the water and in contact with the skin can also have an impact on the consumer’s health. (Article Reference)

Brands, then, have a responsibility: choosing well where they source their materials and where they out-source the production. The consumer, getting information easily on internet is more and more aware of those issues, which reflects in its purchasing choices. Sustainability concerns have only been increasing since the 1990s and in 2015, 66% of global consumers were willing to pay more for environmentally sustainable products. It damages the image of brands to be involved in environmental or social scandals. On the contrary, sustainability can be a real marketing opportunity. Showing concern, sharing the origin of the materials, revealing « who made [the] clothes » attracts customers, reassured that the product they are buying is safe for themselves and the planet. It is part of the « look good, feel good » trend when buyers don’t want to feel guilty wearing their favourite sweater. (Article Reference)

Transparency is trendy, however it is not always easy for brands to control their supply chain. How can a company based in Europe, or North America be sure of the quality of the products they buy in Asia? How can it know in which conditions clothes were made and with which means? The information given by the factories can be altered or fake, a website, mails, phone calls, those are only words and chosen images. It is also tricky for brands to plan a visit of the factories of their suppliers and manufacturers. When knowing someone is coming to check on the working conditions or on quality, it happens often that companies adjust their installations only for a day, adding fake security signs, changing displayed products or hiring more people to show wealth.

This is when audits can be extremely useful. The information obtained is more accurate and real. For environmental responsibilities, audits are made according to the ISO 14000 environmental standard, covering energy usage, renewable energy, greenhouse gas emissions, materials and waste reduction, life cycle management, supplier’s supply chain activities and more. ISO 14000 audits can be combined with SA8000 for social responsibility for a more thorough inspection, helping brands to have a better control on their supply chain and with time, to select their most reliable partners.

These audits can be applied to various fields such as footwear, garments, accessories, textiles, bags, soft toys, electrical & lighting, gifts, home & garden, hardware, furniture, industrial & construction, sporting equipment & fitness, toys, assemblies & molds, maintenance solutions, automotive parts, and medical devices.

Review an example report ISO 14001 here.

How does your organization ensure sustainability and environmental stewardship?

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Written by: Yingchao Siu, Business Development Manager

I recently had the privilege of joining the annual ASQ World Conference on Quality and Improvement held in Seattle, Washington. It is the world’s largest quality conference bringing together a wealth of quality professionals from all over the world to exchange ideas and interact with other leaders within a variety of industries.

The theme this year was “The Innovation of You.” Sessions focused on topics ranging from Quality Fundamentals, Risk and Change, Building and Sustaining a Culture of Quality, to Future of Quality. I had the opportunity to experience great knowledge first hand from quality experts and also to meet and network with other quality professionals from across the globe.

Initially, my primary goal was to improve my own knowledge base. I wanted to increase my proficiency in communicating on a technical level with potential clients. In the end, I came away with a lot more. I realized that for quality professionals, quality begins at home. Continuous education is vital for all staff to ensure each and every one of us is able to play our role in strengthening and maintaining a culture of quality within the company. We don’t just sell quality services, Pro QC aims to exude quality and show clients that we practice what we preach.

Secondly, and perhaps most striking, was the feeling that quality is a thriving organism, changing, growing and developing. The significance of this for us as a company is in understanding the potential we have as we navigate the blue oceans opening up in the sea of disruptive technologies and disrupted markets. In this blog post “Reflecting on the Advantages of Technology on QC.” we reflected on just how much our operational environment has changed over the years.

Pro QC is not just a company which endeavours to provide inspection services or quality audits. Pro QC strives to stand out as a provider of solutions drawing on our extensive experience in quality, going above and beyond the traditional roles of quality engineers to fulfil the role of problem solver and adviser to our clients.

Overall, the ASQ World Conference of Quality and Improvement was educational and professionally inspiring. In addition to my participation as an attendee of the conference, our U.S. team was exhibiting. This year marks the 7^th consecutive year Pro QC has exhibited at the event. Involvement in events such as this one is both indicative of our professionalism and the direction of the company within the future of quality.

A question that comes up often when sourcing abroad is determining what the living wage is and how well suppliers stack up.

Article 23 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that “everyone who works has the right to just and favorable remuneration ensuring for himself and for his family an existence worthy of human dignity.” And, it’s even noted that Plato and Aristotle discussed the concept as they both argued for “an income that considers needs, particularly those that ensure the communal good.”

How are Living Wages calculated?

“A living wage is the minimum income necessary for a worker to meet their basic needs. This is not the same as subsistence which refers to a biological minimum. Needs are defined to include food, housing, and other essential needs such as clothing. The goal of a living wage is to allow a worker to afford a basic but decent standard of living. Due to the flexible nature of the term ‘needs’, there is not one universally accepted measure of what a living wage is and as such it varies by location and household type.”

Social Accountability International identifies the Living Wage calculation as follows:

To verify wages for suppliers, auditors check records over a period of time and conduct employee interviews. Applicable standards include SA8000, ISO 26000, various or organizational-specific such as WalMart or the Electronics Industry Citizenship Coalition.

Social Accountability International posts Living Wage Reports for various areas within China, Africa, Vietnam, etc.  View the SAI page here. 

Within the United States, MIT provides Living Wage estimates based on states here. 

To learn more about supplier social audits and view example example reports, visit Pro QC’s website. 

An article we recently contributed to ASQ’s Quality Management Forum (Winter 2017) connects Stakeholder Theory and Social Responsibility (SR).

“Edward Freeman described Stakeholder Theory as a proactive approach to corporate social responsibility (CSR). Looking outward to groups or individuals impacted by an organization’s activities, Stakeholder Theory encourages organizations to identify key entities affected and consider their interests and rights as they relate to that organization’s actions.  Considering the most common key stakeholders, the case for SR within an organization is made by demonstrating tangible benefits and value within each.”

The article discusses each of the primary five stakeholders identified above and includes some interesting supporting data.  Read the full article here.