Certification

 

At Etiko, we believe in the value of sustainability and ethical standards, and independent certification that our business - and the businesses in our supply chain - meet these standards. That is why, since we launched our business, we’ve always invested in credible third party standards and certifications for the materials we use in our products and the factories where our products are made.

We are not experts in sustainable and ethical production of cotton, rubber, garments, footwear and sports balls, or how to run the most, ethical business and sustainable clothing in Australia . We are a small family business! The good news is that we don’t need to be -- because we choose to participate in fair trade, organic and good business standards and certification systems that bring together the best minds on these topics from around the world, and run democratic and transparent processes to establish both the standards that need to be met, and the certification requirements for businesses to prove that they meet these standards.

In a world where many businesses make claims about the sustainability and ethical credentials of their products and business, Etiko stands out from its peers, because its claims are grounded in global best practice and independently verified. This is why we keep winning awards and getting A+ ratings from the Australian Fashion Report.

Our Fairtrade Certifications 

Etiko was the first non-food brand to gain Fairtrade certification in Australia and New Zealand. We received a license to apply the Fairtrade label to our sports balls in 2006. We added Fairtrade certified cotton garments and sneakers in 2010. Etiko took the extra step of gaining Fair Trade USA certification for its factory production of garments in India in 2015 and are working with Fair Trade USA to certify factory production of our sneakers in Sri Lanka.

Etiko chooses Fairtrade certification for its raw material inputs and factory production for 4 key reasons:

  1. We see it as providing the ‘gold standard’ for consumer and business trust, wholistically addressing crucial social and environmental issues in global supply chains, tackling poverty and, unlike any other certification, seeking to shift power in global trade to those should benefit - farmers and workers

  2. It provides us and our customers with a credible, independent, third-party assessment that standards are being met for labour rights, producer empowerment and environmental performance along our supply chain

  3. Fairtrade provides an intervention that not only seeks to ensure no child is exploited in the production of our products, but also tackles the root causes of child slavery and child labour - the poverty in many communities where our raw materials are grown and our products assembled

  4. It enables us to invest in the empowerment of farmers and workers, via our payment of premiums (additional to prices) into transparent and democratically run accounts which producers use to improve their businesses and communities

To learn more about Fairtrade, see the following links:


Our Organic Certification

The cotton used in all our footwear and clothing products are certified organic by Control Union (formerly Skal) of Holland under the international GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) program, also accredited by USDA's National Organic Program. Our cotton is grown, processed and low-impact dyed as per international organic standards. This means that our products adhere to strict organic standards for not only cotton growing, but also processing (e.g. pre-treatment, washing, bleaching, dyeing, waste treatment, finishing) to provide a completely environmental product.

See http://www.global-standard.org/ for more information.

 

Our BCorp Certification

As of 2017, Etiko is now a Certified B Corporation. B Corp™ are leaders of a global movement of people using business as a force for good™. We meet the highest standards of overall social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability and aspire to use the power of our business to solve social and environmental problems. We are apart of more than 1,400 Certified B Corporations in over 120 industries and 40 countries with 1 unifying goal – to redefine success in business.

See more at http://bcorporation.com.au/.