Ethical trade is better known as CSR: corporate social responsibilities. It concerns itself with working and environmental conditions.
WHITEWEAR sources its products in the far east, among other countries, which is why we aim to and commit ourselves to make an extra effort to improve working and environmental conditions. This is how we take responsibility for the working conditions
At WHITEWEAR, working with ethical and social responsibilities is high on the agenda. We feel a responsibility for the working conditions at our supplier's factories. As a result, we strongly feel that we can contribute to ensuring their staff is allowed to work under accountable conditions, and feel we need to help promote positive changes in any way we can.
We have compiled a Code of Conduct
We have written a Code of Conduct and share it with our business partners, suppliers, customers, and WHITEWEAR employees. Our Code of Conduct clarifies our expectations and demands towards our business partners and our employees.
Membership of amfori BSCI
WHITEWEAR is a member of amfori BSCI and uses its membership to influence and develop good ethical and social conditions in close cooperation with our suppliers. As part of amfori BSCI, we have access to a tremendous amount of educational material. This helps us achieve and maintain a good dialogue with our suppliers, thus strengthening their cooperation in creating a more socially responsible supply chain.
Strong business relations with our partners
At WHITEWEAR, a solid business relationship is at our cooperation's core. We know that long and good partnerships are as meaningful as proper tools and control. When it comes to choosing suppliers and business partners, we are in it for the long haul, which requires flexibility and agility to evolve along with the demands of time – together.
Procedures help secure responsibility
To further develop ethically solid trade at WHITEWEAR and its partners, we have set several goals and drawn up procedures. Every six months, we check to see whether we made our goals and sub-goals. We also evaluate our work with ethical trade in general and review whether our efforts need to be modified.
We have drawn up clear procedures to help guide us in our daily business. As a result, we have decided that "all business partners are offered a quality amfori BSCI onboarding trajectory and regular training". And also, that "WHITEWEAR commits itself to actively participate in establishing a positive development at our suppliers and business partners via our amfori BSCI work, thus achieving and maintaining grade-A or B audit results". How we commit to the amfori BSCI
Should we experience a lack of commitment or progress in one of our business partners, when it comes to this shared responsibility, we obligate ourselves to find the cause of these difficulties and seek guidance from amfori's Danish contact person. We do not terminate cooperation with any supplier based on a lack of commitment or progress for amfori purposes unless we have no other choice. After all, a terminated contract will not improve the conditions for the workers employed at that supplier – often quite the contrary – and we find ourselves morally obliged to protect the interests of those people.
We hope this has given you insights into the work we put into becoming – and remaining – a sustainable supplier of quality textiles atcompetitive prices. Should you have questions about this document, related documents, or our sustainable supply chain in general, please don't hesitate to reach out. 
The EU directive on waste is changing legislation for waste management and encourages a route towards a circular economy. From July ’23, the Danish municipalities need to separately collect textile waste, followed in 2025 by the rest of the EU. In 2022 several pilot projects take shape to help clear the way, of which Textile Symbiosis Herning is one.
A circular economy aims to elongate the lifecycle of products. Traditional textile production has a significant impact on the environment, and any effort to increase the material’s lifetime will impact the environment beneficially. In contrast to the ‘take-make-waste’ linear model, a circular economy is regenerative by design and aims to decouple growth from the consumption of finite resources gradually. Businesses working in textiles can adapt the idea behind circular economies and use them to rethink their business methods. In addition, the development of new technologies, networking, and innovation leads to the effective recycling of textiles and textile fibres. Enter Textile Symbiosis Herning
Textile Symbiosis Herning is a 2-year project backed by the European regional development fund (ERDF) and the Danish Board of Business Development. Its goal is to be ready with solutions and legislation to create an efficient way of separately collecting textile waste on a national scale, starting in 2023. (Read more in an earlier LinkedIn post on the EU directive on waste).
At a New Year’s reception, Textile Symbiosis Herning and other members of SMV— a Danish trade organisation for small and medium-sized companies within industry, construction, and service— met with innovators and larger businesses. We loved experiencing these initiated partnerships up close, extending throughout the entire current framework of the textile industries, and already devising new angles and solutions that help achieve our common goals: to recycle used textiles. WHITEWEAR is part of Textile Symbiosis Herning
At WHITEWEAR, we feel that this project seamlessly fits our ambitions within increasing sustainability in the textile industry. Therefore, we are proud to be part of Textile Symbiosis Herning.
We’re already working on identifying possible areas and opportunities to incorporate reused textiles into our supply chain, and we look forward to testing and creating circular business models! The gross majority of our textiles are white or unbleached. This allows us to study how we may recycle uni-coloured textile waste and determine the demand for such fabrics in today’s textile industry. Fortunately, WHITEWEAR’s textiles are primarily made from cotton and cotton-polyester, making them reasonably uncomplex materials. We are bursting with ideas of recycling possibilities for our white textiles. So, now we need to use our network and seek the right technologies to turn these ideas into concrete initiatives. We want to support our customers
At WHITEWEAR, we aim to work towards an even more sustainable trade continuously. We want to strengthen our business by becoming a better partner and sounding board for our customers. We know that they need to build knowledge about their handling of textile waste, especially in light of the 2023 waste collection changes. Therefore, we hope that we, via Textile Symbioses, can achieve even closer cooperation with our customers.
Contact us if you have questions about us, our products, or our participation in Textile Symbiosis. Today is a festive day: we celebrate our 10th anniversary! Our fantastic journey has brought many exciting challenges. Above all, we have confirmed what we already suspected 10 years ago: we have a solid concept with considerable potential, making a difference in this industry. WHITEWEAR is a success, not in the least because of solid co-operations, with skilled and dedicated employees, business partners, suppliers, and customers. People who have been, and continue to be, crucial to WHITEWEAR, to whom we wish to say: Thank you all so much! A good co-operation is the result of mutual respect and honesty – something we can say without a doubt we have experienced. WHITEWEAR ’s exciting journey continues, with an ever-stronger focus on sustainability. We strongly feel that we have a shared responsibility to take care of each other and our planet. Our industry is connected with environmental challenges – it is up to us to figure out how to develop and source our products differently. Our mission is to increase the share of sustainable textiles in the Scandinavian healthcare industry. We look forward to continuing and developing our co-operation with you all 😊  
More and more companies start to focus on sustainability in recent years, starting a green transition - and with good reason! We need to be careful with our planet and its resources. That is why the time to act is now!
But where should you start? It can be hard to see the wood for the trees when it comes to sustainable alternatives, quality-assured certificates, and healthy production environments. Let us guide you! WHITEWEAR is an expert in textiles and can guide you towards suitable fabrics and qualities – and we live and breathe sustainability. In this article, we tell you everything you need to know about recycled polyester. Recycled polyester – hard-wearing since 1993
Should you opt for polyester workwear, WHITEWEAR recommends you use recycled polyester instead of traditional polyester. As you might know, polyester dries quickly. Even though it may seem like the latest new thing, recycled polyester has been around since 1993.
The only difference between then and now is that the production technologies have taken a giant leap forwards, resulting in far better fabric quality. Recycled polyester is used for a myriad of products, where the fantastic properties and durability of polyester come into their own. Especially for sportswear, workwear, staff apparel, socks, and more, polyester is a sensible choice. For more information about what to keep in mind when choosing workwear for your staff, read our blog, The Right Workwear for the Healthcare Industry: An Overview. Why use Personnel Apparel Made of Recycled Polyester?
Other than being hard-wearing, recycled polyester dries quickly – even when worn. In practice, it means that if you need workwear for your staff that works under warm conditions, recycled polyester is a safe choice.
Furthermore, staff apparel or workwear is used over and over again. Therefore, your workwear choice becomes a sustainable one by choosing a product that can withstand repeated wash and wear without losing shape, colour, or function. After all, isn’t it better to invest in one good quality shipment of workwear that’ll last you a long time over many substandard ones? Learn more about staff apparel by reading our blog, Three things you need to keep in mind when you buy staff apparel for the healthcare sector. This is how we make sure our products are of premium quality
When we use recycled polyester in our textiles, we use recycled polyester manufactured according to GRS (Global Recycle Standard). This gives us a transparent supply chain with full traceability regarding the fibres, working conditions, and environmental impact of the manufacturing process. In practice, we know for a fact that our recycled polyester is made from previously used plastic, such as old plastic bottles, fishing nets, etc.
Like all other WHITEWEAR products, our recycled polyester styles are OEKO-TEX® certified. Choosing OEKO-TEX-certified textiles helps protect your staff from harmful chemicals that are often found in non-OEKO-TEX-certified fabrics. Would you like to know more about how recycled polyester can make a difference for your staff apparel, patient apparel, or healthcare textiles?
Read more about our products and contact us to hear more about the possibilities for recycled polyester.
 We cooperate with many suppliers across the world. We deeply care about doing our part when it comes to improving working conditions. That is why, on March 1st 2021, WHITEWEAR became a member of amfori BSCI. What is amfori BSCI Amfori believes in a world where trade facilitates social, environmental and economic benefits for everybody. To achieve that, amfori BSCI (Business Social Compliance Initiative) uses a code of conduct to which all members adhere. This code is built upon 11 principles and values that ensure ethically and socially responsible business conduct. The code also sets several demands for factories that produce our wares regarding their employees' working conditions. Conditions that are audited regularly by an independent third party. Amfori BSCI's 11 Principles
Amfori's Core Values Amfori has three core values that guide the organisation and its members: continuous improvement, cooperation, and empowerment.
Read more about our certificates and how we care for the environment and working conditions. What Does the amfori BSCI Membership Mean to WHITEWEAR? Many of our business partners are BSCI audited already. With the amfori BSCI membership, we can now actively participate in further improving working conditions, together with our business partners and in our own supply chain. The eleven principles represent areas where WHITEWEAR is obliged to continue working for an even better and more sustainable supply chain. The amfori BSCI membership also incorporates the amfori Academy – an innovative digital platform for developing sustainable supply chain management skills. It offers training to both our business partners and us – knowledge we can use when we visit our partners across the world, allowing us to evolve together. WHITEWEAR cares about the environment and decent working conditions for all parties involved, making the amfori BSCI membership a natural step in our continued development. Red more about our values and contact us to hear more about the possibilities.
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