Our Ethics


Our Social & Ethical Values

At Elementum we design RELATIONSHIPS. This means we believe we are all connected. Our values and our partners values must be aligned, as well as with your values , and with the planet wellbeing.

We CARE for the WELLBEING of the whole chain we create and are part of, all those we touch and the planet we depend on, so its essential for us to keep working on our impact and to keep improving (our negative aspects and reenforce the positive ones) and reenforcing the way we connect, from (the fulfilling of the Human rights), labour/working conditions to environmental efficiency.

We believe in :

  • MUTUAL RESPECT between all People, Animals and Plants.

  • Long term relationships build on TRANSPARENCY and KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE.

  • FAIR wages and good working conditions.

  • PROXIMITY, being close to our partners helps us to improve, to have a better impact on our community and our planet. (with those we work with and with those we design for.)

 

Our context

Elementum is based in Caldas da Rainha -Portugal, where we also choose to do most of our supply, production and manufacturing. Our production chain is highly simplified. We focus on positive collaborations with our suppliers and keep the process close to us. 41,5% of our production is made in our studio, 52,8 % we produce 60Km from our studio in small family businesses in Portugal, and 5,7% in The Netherlands. We know all our suppliers and work with them in person, visiting them regularly (1-6 Times year). Undertaking our own inspection program we establish long term relationships so that we can ensure product quality and good labour conditions.

We choose to keep our supply chain close to us because the proximity allow us to understand and contribute to the positive development of the local communities we have an impact on.

Besides the proximity aspect, producing in Portugal means to produce under EU regulations witch are very strong/ supportive in terms of Human Rights, Workers Rights, Fair Wages as well as Heath & Safety and Environmental policies.

Key aspects:

  • simplified supply chain

  • long term relationships

  • based in Portugal (EU)

  • keep production close to us : garment manufacturing mainly in Portugal (41,5% our studio/office and 52,8%in Leiria/ same region 60Km from our office) and 5,7% in The Netherlands.

     

elementum-supply-chainGraphic data based on our current collection designs for 2021.

 

Our relationships

Initially to choose our partners we looked at their product qualities and certifications in terms o sustainability but also into their commitment to sustainability. We visited them personally and in many cases we recorded our observations of their production process and working conditions. 

Despite the long term relations that we maintain with our partners and the guarantees our Portuguese/European context gives us, at Elementum we are nevertheless initiating a process of formalising the relation we have with our partners. We visit our partners several times a year, specially our main garment manufacturer in Leiria (60Km from our office/studio), we want to keep a registration of the information we collect during our visits (announced and not announced visits) to build a clear record that confirms our supply chain real commitment and efforts/ engagement towards Ethical & Social values. With this program we aim also at improving our chain awareness and actions in relation to Social, Ethical an Environmental best practices.

fashionrevolution-ethics

 

Our Code of Ethics

What is a VCOE ?

A Vendor Code of Ethics (VcoE) is created for the purpose of ensuring that a company’s suppliers put into place safe working conditions, their employees are treated with respect and their production processes are overall socially and environmentally responsible. Some components of the Vendor Code of Ethics are labor practice and standards, environmental policy, ethics and a review and documentation policy.

Our Vendor Code of Ethics is grounded on: ILO Fundamental Freedoms Principles, The UNGP (United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights), The United Nations Woman’s Empowerment Principles ,The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights, Modern Slavery Act.

At the moment we use our Code of Ethics to guide our internal and external work chain.  Also sharing it with our partners to increase awareness and implement more transparency. 

Our ZERO TOLERANCE requirements to establish a partnership are:

  • TRANSPARENCY and COOPERATION

  • NO FORCED LABOUR

  • NO UNAPPROVED SUBCONTRACTORS

  • NO MINIMUM WAGE VIOLATIONS

  • NO CHILD LABOUR 

  • NO CORRUPTION and BRIBERY

Our suppliers are open, transparent, and cooperative providing clear information to their practices and their ethics. Most of our suppliers have their values expressed on their websites as well as their code of ethics. Know more about our suppliers here

 

 

If you still have questions about our Ethics email us at contact@elementum.store we will be happy to share more information with you.