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ethical manufacturing

At Untouched World™, we understand how important it is for our customers to be able to easily identify where our garments have been manufactured, and to be satisfied that garments made outside of New Zealand have been produced with the same cultural, environmental and social sustainability values.


Made in New Zealand
Currently, 95.4% of our garments are produced in New Zealand, both within our own facility, and contracted out to other garment makers. These facilities meet or exceed all of New Zealand’s employment laws and regulations. Our New Zealand employees have a legal right to employment agreements, holidays, privacy, wages, human rights, parental leave and other employment matters. All New Zealanders have access to free health care, as well as personal insurance cover for work and non-work injuries through the Accident Compensation Corporation scheme.
 
As an employer, we are required to maintain safe working environments, and abide by the Resource Management Act in New Zealand, which protects our environment by promoting the sustainable management of natural and physical resources.
 
Our staff also enjoy a number of additional benefits. These include a special time allowance during the day to go out for a brisk walk; staff purchasing privileges; complimentary flu injections or an alternative homeopathic preventative; the opportunity to represent their department on the company spirit team, and an ‘open door’ policy for access to our CEO.

Made in China
At the moment, New Zealand does not have the technology required to manufacture some of the fine knits we have in our collections. We have chosen two companies in Guangdong, China, just north of Hong Kong, to produce these particular knits for us. They are small companies who also produce garments for international luxury brands such as Michael Kors and Donna Karan. China is the country closest to New Zealand with both the technology and the workforce available to manufacture these garments to our specifications.
 
We do not rely on international certifications when selecting our manufacturing partners, as these systems are vulnerable to corruption. Untouched World™ has a much more hands-on approach, preferring to work with factories that allow us personal visits, un-chaperoned and unannounced, with access to all of their staff at any time. CEO Peri Drysdale personally visited our first Chinese factory when we began working with this company. Our garments are now made in a second factory as well, and both factories receive annual visits by an Untouched World™ staff member, and more frequent visits throughout the year by our Chinese representative. We insist on copies of employment contract certificates, and receive regular photo updates of the factories.
 
Employees of our Chinese partners have employment contracts which contain a one-to-three month probationary period, a fair pay rate, sick pay entitlements, and a company-paid insurance cover of up to 80% of the employee’s pay rate. Both parties must agree to the terms of the contract. These employment contracts are directly with the company, not through an agent who would require a fee.
 
These companies have approved management styles which are audited by an international company. It is also a requirement of Chinese law that a Health and Safety Officer visits the factory on a regular basis, and inspects the accident registration book to ensure all policies are being followed.
 
Staff complete 40 hour weeks. The minimum age for an employee is 16 years. All workers must produce an ID card, which is copied and kept on file. Wages are based on the number of garments each worker completes.
Workers in Chinese companies often live on-site. The companies we work with provide dorm rooms that house four to six individuals, and also have separate rooms for married couples. These rooms are big and clean, and offer kitchen facilities as well as a canteen. Staff are provided with both lunch and dinner, and their accommodation is free. It is in the interest of our factories to have healthy, happy workers in a clean and safe environment, as there are many jobs available in the Guangdong province. The companies we work with compete with other businesses to retain their staff.

Made in Portugal
Untouched World™ is focused on sustainable supply routes. To avoid shipping some of our woven cotton garments all the way to New Zealand and then back again to our European market, we work with a company in Portugal. This spinner and weaver is a Control Union* certified organic mill, where all certified organic cotton is separated from non-organic fibre and yarns. The mill is located in a small town approximately 100km from Ponto in the north of the country, and has been manufacturing textiles for many years. The company also produces garments for well known sustainable brands such as Howies, Edun and Ciel, and is dedicated to further developing their manufacture of organic, sustainable and fair trade products.
 
Peri Drysdale has also personally visited this factory, along with our Design Director and Operations Manager. Portugal, as a member of the EEC, is bound by regulations on labour, health and safety, and hazardous substances, and conditions in the mill are similar to the conditions experienced by workers in New Zealand.
 
*Formerly SKAL International
Our Portugal factory operates in a similar way to our factory in Christchurch, New Zealand. A large open plan workspace contains a large number of sewing machine stations. In our Chinese factories, staff sit at large tables and inspect each completed garment for imperfections. The staff at our Chinese factories live on-site in accommodation provided by their employers. They are able to walk over to the factory for work each day. This image shows staff at our Portuguese factory working on a warping machine, which prepares the yarns prior to weaving them into fabric. The staff who work for our Chinese partners are provided with complimentary accommodation and meals. Single people normally share dorm rooms with four to six others, while married couples are given individual rooms. Our Portuguese manufacturer produces yarn as well as finished garments. Systems within the mill ensure that polluted water coming into the mill from the river leaves fresh and clean. Special dye processes allow us to produce garments in a wide range of colours, as shown here in our Portuguese factory. After each garment made in our China factory has gone through rigorous quality checks, it is individually packed for distribution to our retail outlets. Our knitwear is carefully steamed and ironed by hand into perfect shape in our New Zealand factory. This image shows our organic cotton in bales at our Portuguese factory before being spun into our beautiful yarns. Staff in our Chinese factory are provided with all their meals. This is a great time for staff to relax and spend time together on a social level. Our head office in Christchurch, New Zealand, incorporates our own on-site factory, where the product development of each individual design takes place, along with the manufacture of most of our knitwear styles. Our Portuguese factory keeps a record of fabrics that are used in large swatch books for easy reference.
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