Social Compliance WRAP

Social Compliance WRAP

I admit that I’ve changed my mind about Social Compliance by 3rd parties. They do add value and work. I now like and support WRAP or Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production (It used to be Worldwide Responsible APPAREL production.)
http://www.wrapapparel.org/ (The site has a list of certified factories in case you need some contacts.) It’s nice to only ask to see the WRAP certificate and not send your internal team to audit and report. Plus, it prevents your customers from auditing your facilities which could open the door for them to go direct to your factories for future orders.
1. Ask to see the WRAP certificate and check that it’s signed and up to date.
2. WRAP requires compliance to the laws in the Country which can get complicated if there are old and never used laws on the books. Be patient and work with WRAP and the various governments and it will work out. Let’s face it, there are still old crazy unenforced laws on the books in USA too.
3. RUN as FAST as you can from the Factory that failed compliance and claims that they failed because they wouldn’t pay the WRAP inspector a bribe. I know the factory owner claims to be your “buddy” and confides this in strictest confidence. Don’t be a chump and fall for this scam. (I am aware of Pass/Fail Quality Assurance Bribes.)
4. If you are fortunate enough to visit the factory, use your senses to verify social compliance. My learning preference is auditory and I can listen to a knitting room or sewing factory and learn a lot.
5. Remember, any person that visits a factory on your behalf like an IT programmer or a Quality Auditor should be educated about compliance and actively alert and in a “compliance audit” mode while visiting.

6. And if you have the time, ask the factory manager or person giving you the tour, to open the First Aid Kit. Too many times, I’ve found these empty or filled with unusable stuff. If your IT guy ask to look inside the First Aid Kit, I assure you they’ll make sure to fill it before he leaves.

7. Fire Drills are another way to check up on the spot. Do those buckets of sand really work?

8. And I love the ponds in the front of the dye house filled with fish swimming in the cleaned up water.

All for now,

Sincerely,

The Underwear Maven
http://www.KeyLargoUnderwear.com