Striving for a sustainable supply chain with SEDEX

Committed to making better choices

Since launching the eponymous brand in 2018, Gen has desired to be part of the movement working towards a more circular fashion industry. In the brand's early days, Gen sourced only deadstock fabric to create her designs, using only waste materials. She continues to use deadstock to this day, alongside a range of sustainable fabric choices and continues to seek improvements on the fabrics they use. 

Gen Woo garments are manufactured at a family-run factory in Bangladesh, which holds several sustainable accreditations and credentials, such as SEDEX (Supplier Ethical Data Exchange), BSCI (Business Social Compliance Initiative) and ICS (Initiative Clause Sociale).

The Singapore-based sustainable fashion brand has recently repositioned itself in the market and dedicated much of this year to raising standards across packaging, fibre sourcing and accreditation. As the brand grows and accelerates its efforts in transparency, accountability and social responsibility, it seemed only a natural progression for the brand to become a SEDEX member.

What is SEDEX?

SEDEX is one of the world's leading ethical trade membership organisations, working with businesses to improve working conditions in global supply chains. The platform is an international membership organisation that shares responsible sourcing data on supply chains. With tens of thousands of companies signed up, SEDEX tracks performance around labour rights, health and safety, the environment and business ethics. 

Why SEDEX?

Thanks to its unrivalled data insights and its team's expert guidance, SEDEX aims to connect a community of 75,000 global businesses to share insights and best practices and improve businesses' sustainability operations with exclusive member training programs. The platform maximises the impact of sustainability efforts with leading data insights and industry expertise. By becoming a member of SEDEX, a business will gain visibility into working conditions and environmental performance in its supply chain through world-leading audits.

SEDEX secures funds to drive sustainability in supply chains globally 

Over 75,000 businesses worldwide have made SEDEX their trusted partner in creating a more socially and environmentally sustainable supply chain. SEDEX has recently secured funding from a private equity investor and part of Lloyds Banking Group, LDC, to support its mission of driving sustainability in supply chains.

With LDC's funding, SEDEX will further invest in developing its platform, tools and professional services, leveraging the power of data and technology for its members' benefit and fuelling its international expansion plans.

Jon Hancock, CEO of SEDEX, believes that with the scale and complexity of challenges the company's members face, more sophisticated solutions are needed to adapt across the breadth of ESG areas and the depth of their entire supply chains.

The company also plans to establish a Special Purpose Trust to maintain its founding purpose and stated mission and to make global supply chains more socially and environmentally sustainable.

How will SEDEX benefit Gen Woo?

Consumer Knitex, the family-run business behind Gen Woo, has already received several sustainable initiatives and accreditations. Certified by the BSCI, the supply chain is regularly monitored to ensure all garments are manufactured in an ethical and socially responsible manner and an accredited member of the ICS, whose objective is to promote and support continual improvement of the working conditions in its factory.

Being approved to join SEDEX, the global ethical trading organisation, will offer Gen Woo many benefits. The platform provides unrivalled data insights into the social chain to manage social and environmental welfare. 

SEDEX will help Gen Woo gain visibility into its supply chain's working conditions and environmental performance. Gen Woo can leverage the platform's supplier database to track supply chain operations efficiently. SEDEX will measure and address any supply chain inefficiencies with the platform's data visualisation tool and our remediation strategies. To optimise reporting, Gen Woo will be able to share its business and supplier performance with internal and external stakeholders. With Gen Woo's commitment to continuous improvement, SEDEX will provide sustainability acumen through eLearning resources and training sessions.

As a SEDEX member, the factories manufacturing Gen Woo's garments will be subjected to regular audits by the industry body. Adhering to these policies ensures the factory maintains good standards and provides a SMETA (Sedex Members Ethical Trade Audit) certification. 

What does SEDEX mean for Gen Woo's customers?

With the brand and factory holding SMETA certifications, Gen Woo consumers can be reassured the supply chain is routinely monitored to ensure a standard of labour, health and safety, environmental performance and ethics within its operations. The SMETA audit is designed to help protect workers from unsafe conditions, overwork, discrimination, low pay and forced labour. 

Offering transparency, accountability and a commitment to continuous improvement, being a part of SEDEX reflects Gen Woo's core values: being kind to people and the planet. 

Gen Woo believes we all have a part to play in building a sustainable future for our children and strives to make better choices in everything they do - from the fabrics they choose and the energy-saving measures they employ to the conditions for those in their supply chain. 

Responsibility, community, positivity and freedom lie at the heart of Gen Woo. Part of a family-run business with a thirty-year history of making quality clothing, all Gen Woo pieces are produced in their own accredited factory, which promotes a safe, inclusive and fair working environment for all workers, recognised through several accreditations and certifications. 

For further reading on Gen Woo's stance on environmental issues, visit our journal and sustainability content. To be part of our story, sign up for our newsletter now to access exclusive deals and more.

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