In the context of our buying house, Vestex International, we diligently oversee and encourage our partner factories to strictly follow the international compliance standard. To ensure social compliance in these garment factories, we adhere to the nine essential requirements outlined in the SA8000 Standard, which serves as a globally recognized benchmark for social responsibility and the enforcement of international labor standards. This standard was established by Social Accountability International, a non-governmental, multi-stakeholder organization devoted to eradicating worker exploitation while advocating for labor rights, ethical working conditions, CSR and social dialogue.

The nine key requirements under the SA8000 social compliance framework are as follows:

1. Child Labor: Prohibiting the employment of children under the age of 15 in factories.
2. Forced Labor: Ensuring that all employees work voluntarily and are not subjected to forced labor under threat of punishment or retaliation.
3. Health and Safety: Mandating a secure and healthy workplace while preventing potential health and safety incidents, work-related injuries, and illnesses.
4. Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining: Affirming the right of all staff to form, join, and organize trade unions and engage in collective bargaining.
5. Discrimination: Prohibiting discrimination in hiring, remuneration, access to training, promotion, termination, and retirement.
6. Disciplinary Practices: Preventing the use of corporal punishment, mental or physical coercion, and verbal abuse of employees.
7. Working Hours: Complying with relevant laws, collective bargaining agreements, and industry standards concerning working hours, breaks, and public holidays.
8. Remuneration: Respecting employees' right to a living wage.
9. Management Systems: Implementing SA8000 compliance through established policies and procedures.

Despite the existence of these rigorous standards, violations of social compliance continue to plague garment factories worldwide, leading to issues such as unfair wages, excessive working hours, violations of local overtime limits, and health and safety breaches. These violations have resulted in unfortunate incidents, some of which could have been prevented, underscoring the importance of not overlooking social compliance.

For garment factories, it is imperative to consider conducting social compliance audits. These audits serve as a tool for evaluating a factory's adherence to social compliance standards, although they alone do not guarantee full compliance. Achieving social compliance is a complex undertaking, but partnering with a textile management solution provider helps mitigate the consequences of non-compliance and facilitates the development of improvement plans.

In practical terms, typical breaches of social compliance within garment factories and other industries include:

• Inadequate provision of social insurance benefits.
• Unjust compensation, which encompasses wages not in accordance with minimum wage regulations, mandatory overtime rates, and delayed payment.
• Working beyond local overtime restrictions.
• Health and Safety Violations such as inadequate fire safety measures and protective gear, and also insufficient sanitation in facilities and dormitories.

These challenges underscore the imperative for sustained vigilance in upholding social compliance throughout the global supply chain, a responsibility that we remain fully cognizant of.