Step One - Made Ethically

Summary

The speaker recounts their journey to establish an ethical clothing brand, 'Step One', by seeking a factory that adheres to ethical standards. They express shock at the prevalence of unethical factories and the harsh working conditions they witnessed. After a challenging search, they found a certified ethical factory in China run by Adam Adams, ensuring high-quality products made under fair labor conditions. The brand prides itself on transparency, knowing the origin and ethical production of its garments.

Takeaways

• 🚪 The speaker's first encounter with a non-ethical factory was a turning point, leading to a commitment to build the brand 'Step One' ethically.
• 🔍 The search for an ethical factory was challenging, with the speaker visiting approximately thirty factories before finding one that met their standards.
• 📄 Ethical accreditation for factories is verified by certificates from organizations usually based in Europe, which conduct comprehensive audits.
• 📝 The audit report includes checks for basic facilities like first aid, fire extinguishers, clean drinking water, a kitchen, and a fridge, which are essential for worker welfare.
• 👶 The report also addresses serious issues like child labor, forced labor, and fair working conditions, which are often taken for granted in some countries.
• 💰 The cost of obtaining an ethical accreditation is high, with each report costing over 100,000 dollars and needing to be renewed annually.
• 🔑 The speaker set criteria for a suitable factory: it must be ethically accredited, the accreditation must be renewed annually, and they must allow unannounced inspections.
• 🌐 The journey to find the right factory involved extensive travel within and outside of China, including remote locations.
• 🤝 The factory chosen is run by a young and progressive owner, Adam Adams, who shares the vision of having an accredited and high-quality production facility.
• 🏭 The factory not only meets ethical standards but also produces high-quality products, aligning with the brand's commitment to both ethics and quality.
• 👖 The final product, the underwear, is described as not only comfortable but also ethically made, providing consumers with a clear conscience when wearing them.

Q & A

What was the speaker's initial realization when they first entered a non-ethical factory?

The speaker realized that they did not want to build their brand, Step One, in the same way as the non-ethical factories they encountered.

Why did the speaker feel the need to find an ethical factory?

The speaker felt the need to find an ethical factory because they wanted to ensure that their brand was built on principles of ethical production and fair working conditions.

How many factories did the speaker estimate they visited before finding the right one?

The speaker estimated that they visited probably thirty factories before finding the one that met their ethical standards.

What was the speaker's first impression of the prevalence of non-ethical factories?

The speaker was honestly surprised and disheartened by the abundance of non-ethical factories and the poor working conditions they observed.

What is the process for a factory to be considered ethical according to the speaker?

A factory needs to have a certificate from an organization based in Europe that inspects the factory thoroughly and certifies it if it meets ethical standards.

What are some of the criteria that an ethical factory must meet according to the certificate?

An ethical factory must have facilities like first aid, fire extinguishers, clean drinking water, a kitchen, and a fridge, and it must adhere to principles like no child labor, no forced labor, and fair working conditions.

Why did the speaker emphasize the importance of renewing the ethical factory certificate annually?

The speaker emphasized the importance of annual renewal to ensure that the factory continues to meet ethical standards and to maintain transparency and accountability.

What additional criteria did the speaker set for the factory beyond just having an ethical certificate?

The speaker set additional criteria that the factory must be accredited, the accreditation must be renewed annually, and they must be able to perform unannounced inspections at any time.

What challenges did the speaker face in finding an ethical factory?

The speaker faced the challenge of finding a factory that was both ethically accredited and capable of producing high-quality products, which they compared to finding a needle in a haystack.

Who is Adam Adams and what is significant about him running the ethical factory?

Adam Adams is the young owner of the ethical factory the speaker chose to work with. His ownership of a factory in China at a young age is quite astounding and signifies his commitment to ethical and high-quality production.

What assurance does the speaker have about the underwear produced by their chosen factory?

The speaker has the assurance that the underwear is not only comfortable but also ethically made, with transparency about where and by whom it was made.

Outlines

00:00

🏭 Ethical Factory Discovery Journey

The narrator recounts their first encounter with a non-ethical factory and the realization that ethical production is crucial for their brand, Step One. They express the difficulty in finding an ethical factory, mentioning the need for certifications from European organizations that inspect and approve factories based on various criteria like working conditions, safety, and labor practices. The process of finding such a factory is likened to finding a needle in a haystack, with the narrator traveling extensively and meeting numerous factories. The goal is to find a factory that not only has the accreditation but also allows for unannounced inspections to ensure ongoing ethical practices.

Keywords

💡Ethical Factory

An 'Ethical Factory' refers to a manufacturing facility that adheres to ethical standards, ensuring fair labor practices, safe working conditions, and environmental sustainability. In the video's context, the narrator emphasizes the importance of finding such a factory for their brand, 'Step One,' to ensure that their products are not only comfortable but also produced under ethical conditions. The script mentions the difficulty in finding an ethical factory and the criteria used to evaluate them.

💡Accreditation

Accreditation in this context is a certification given to factories that meet certain ethical standards, often issued by organizations based in Europe. The video discusses the process of obtaining such accreditation, which involves a thorough inspection of the factory's conditions and practices. The narrator seeks a factory with this accreditation to ensure ethical production.

💡Unethical Products

Unethical products are those produced under conditions that violate ethical standards, such as poor working conditions, child labor, or forced labor. The script describes the narrator's emotional response to witnessing such conditions in factories, which motivates their quest to build a brand based on ethical production.

💡Working Conditions

Working conditions refer to the environment and circumstances in which employees work, including factors like safety, hours, and treatment. The video script highlights the poor working conditions in some factories, such as long hours in small spaces, which the narrator contrasts with the standards they want for their brand.

💡Child Labor

Child labor is the employment of children in ways that negatively affect their physical, mental, or social development. The script mentions child labor as one of the unethical practices the narrator aims to avoid by ensuring their products are made in ethical factories.

💡Forced Labor

Forced labor is work done under coercion or threat of punishment, which is a violation of human rights. The video script includes forced labor as an example of the unethical practices the narrator encounters in some factories and seeks to avoid in their own production process.

💡Fair Working Conditions

Fair working conditions imply a safe and just work environment where employees are treated with respect and are compensated fairly for their labor. The video's theme revolves around the narrator's pursuit of ensuring that their brand's products are made under such conditions.

💡Inspection

An inspection is a thorough examination to ensure compliance with standards or regulations. In the script, the narrator describes the process of inspecting factories to verify their ethical practices, including the ability to perform unannounced inspections as a condition for choosing a factory.

💡Certificate

A certificate in this context is a document attesting that a factory meets specific ethical standards. The script discusses the importance of these certificates as proof of a factory's commitment to ethical practices.

💡Sustainability

Sustainability, while not explicitly mentioned in the script, is implied in the discussion of ethical factories. It refers to practices that maintain environmental, social, and economic well-being over time. The narrator's search for an ethical factory suggests a concern for sustainable production methods.

💡Brand

A brand represents the identity and reputation of a company or product. In the video, the narrator is building the 'Step One' brand with a focus on ethical production, which is central to the brand's identity and message.

Highlights

The founder's realization of the importance of ethical manufacturing after visiting a non-ethical factory.

The challenging journey of finding an ethical factory, visiting up to thirty factories.

The prevalence of unethical factories and the heartbreaking conditions workers endure.

The discovery of the necessity for an ethical accreditation certificate for factories.

The process of obtaining an ethical accreditation, including rigorous inspections and audits.

The cost of accreditation reports, which can exceed $100,000.

The criteria for an ethical factory: accreditation, annual renewal, and allowing unannounced inspections.

The difficulty of finding a factory that meets all the ethical standards.

The founder's commitment to ensuring ethical practices even in the absence of direct supervision.

The founder's encounter with Adam Adams, the young owner of an ethically accredited factory.

Adam Adams' dedication to running a factory with both high-quality products and ethical standards.

The final selection of the factory and the beginning of a successful partnership.

The pride in knowing the origin and conditions under which the products are made.

The assurance of ethically made products, providing both comfort and conscience to the consumers.

The founder's reflection on the journey and the importance of ethical manufacturing.

The impact of ethical manufacturing on the workers and the community.

Transcripts

the first time I walked into a

non-ethical Factory I realized that that

wasn't the way that I wanted to build

the brand of step one and I thought if I

want to do this thing I'm gonna do it

right I reckon I would have been to

probably thirty factories before I found

the one I never honestly realized or

could imagine that bad factories would

be in such abundance I've walked into a

factory in st. brands that you're

probably wearing right now making

unethical products it actually kind of

breaks your heart when you see the

conditions that some people have to work

in imagine working in a space this big

by this big for 12 hours a day I had no

idea that being ethically accredited it

was even a thing because this is

actually the first time I've ever made

clothes so to find an ethical factory I

to literally start from the start how to

find and ethical factory in China mmm

first time I've ever seen Google car no

results every website I read said one

thing to be considered an ethical

factory you need a certificate and those

certificates come from one or two or

three places usually based in Europe

that will physically come out to the

factory in China they go through the

factory top to bottom and then if they

pass they pass if they don't they don't

yeah it's quite interesting on the

report you see them and I like they'll

tick the box and I actually have to take

a photo so be like user is there a first

aid is there a fire extinguisher do they

have clean drinking water as an example

is there a kitchen is there a fridge

like is there a fridge in a workplace

and there's like four or five hundred

workers there and then there's the stuff

that would never come across in

Australia child labor forced labor fair

working conditions things like that that

we would take for granted but in those

countries that actually really happens

so that stuff is all in this report but

these things are a big deal each one of

these reports costs over 100 grand men

gave them four one three five years so

if I was going to do this and find a

factory that had the accreditation I

wanted to make sure that I would renew

that every single year so I started

meeting with all these factories and

wasn't just the accreditation that I

found the challenge I defined another

way to ensure that the right thing was

done even when I wasn't there so I

define a factory that had three things

one they were credited to it was done

annually and three I could turn up

unannounced at any time to perform an

inspection and so starts the hardest

part of the rest of my life

finding these factories is like a needle

in a haystack with this factory for that

Factory middle of China outside China on

the coast inside one a train on a plane

on a bus in the middle of nowhere

it's everything at once and it's full

speed and then one day I found the one

it's actually run by an absolute legend

of a guy Adam Adams a really young guy

he's probably my age is probably 35 36

and to own a factory like that in China

at that age is quite astounding Adams

mandate was have a factory that was both

accredited and did very very high

quality products so we shake ends and

pay the deposit and we never looked back

the next minute we've got the underwear

and beauty of it is I know exactly where

it was made who made it and it was made

under ethical standards so those dates

you're wearing they're not only insanely

comfortable but they're also ethically

made

[Music]