All of our producers are obligated to ensure equal treatment for their employees. What the obligation entails:
"All aspects relating to the employment relationship must be based on the principle of equal treatment and equal opportunity. This applies to the recruitment of new employees and the wage policy as well as training opportunities, opportunities for advancement, dismissal or retirement. VAUDE attaches great importance to ensuring that no one is discriminated against because of his national, ethnic or social origin, color of skin, gender, religious or political beliefs, membership in a labor organization or union, or with disabilities."
According to the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains in the Garment and Footwear Sector, the issue of equal treatment and equal opportunities falls under the industry risk of sexual harassment and sexual and gender-based violence in the workplace. We have identified the following risks in our supply chain:
- Workers are not treated well by supervisors.
What are we doing about it? We have, for instance, organized trainings on internal and intercultural communication and provided training to the supervisors in the factories. Additionally, we collaborate with affected production facilities to conduct trainings that raise awareness among supervisors about responsible behavior.
- Unequal pay and promotion opportunities.
What are we doing about it? We have integrated a gender breakdown by different positions within the production facilities into our annual wage survey. This has allowed us to gain insights into the pay of female and male workers in various positions.
All the risks listed here are potential risks that we have identified in our production countries and that have an increased likelihood of occurrence. (See also Risk Overview)
An obligation in and of itself is not enough, of course. Therefore, all of our producers are regularly and independently audited by organizations such as the Fair Wear. Auditors check carefully whether there are cases of discrimination. This is verified through interviews inside and outside the production site and by reviewing documents.
- How are workers recruited?
- What does the wage policy look like?
- Are men and women paid equally for the same work?
- Are men preferred for some positions even though women could do the same job, or vice versa?
- Are there any employees who are discriminated against in any manner or given advantages?
Fair Wear audits show that our producers fundamentally treat their employees equally. Women and men receive the same wages for the same work.
The breakdown of genders and ensuring equitable pay for women and men performing equivalent work are key components of gender-disaggregated data within production facilities. Consequently, we've devised a data collection method to gather fundamental gender-disaggregated data throughout our
supply chain. This data is seamlessly incorporated into our onboarding process, enabling us to grasp the workforce composition in our partner production facilities from the outset.
In addition to collecting gender-disaggregated data, we analyze Fair Wear
audit results through a "gender lens," helping us identify gender-specific risk areas.
As part of our efforts, we organized a training session on "Gender Equality in the Garment Industry" by
Better Work for one representative from each of our Vietnamese partner factories in 2023. Through this training program, participants gained valuable insights into the issue, covering aspects such as gender roles and expectations, power dynamics, and strategies for promoting equality in the workplace.
Implemented in 2023 as part of our mitigation efforts, we conducted a training session on “Gender Equality in the Garment Industry” by Better Work for one representative from each of our partner factories in Vietnam. Through this initiative, participants gained valuable insights into the following topics and enhanced their understanding:
- Differences between gender and gender identity
- Gender roles and expectations (gender norms) both in the workplace and society, power dynamics, family obligations, and other barriers
- Potential approaches to promote gender equality
- Development and adaptation of gender-responsive measures in the workplace
- Reduction of gender-specific discrimination in the workplace, particularly in the development of personnel-related measures
