ethical manufacturing and fair trade

one of the great things about Tink is that we have our own independently-run manufacturing capability in Vietnam. Tink wholeheartedly supports and practices ethical manufacturing. 'Fair trade' in the sense that most of us are familiar with in relation to coffee and cotton is not available as a certification in Vietnam. Tink is fair in trading and manufacturing in every sense.

ethical manufacturing is about creating stable sustainable employment in a clean functional and professional environment where staff are valued for what they contribute and encouraged to develop and learn new life skills to further their employment and income chances.

how it all started

at the end of 2005, when it became clear that we would be unable to keep up with the demand for our product long term with the UK set-up we had developed (an unglamorous workshop above a garage!), we travelled to Hong Kong, China and Vietnam to try and source a solution.

due to the patented process which Tink's felted lambswool textile goes through to achieve its end result, it became apparent that to get any sort of quality control and production done on our terms was going to be a problem, and so we decided to set up our own production facility.

the way it is now

we have created a fabulous environment for our workers - something to be proud of, and meeting all ethical issues so vital to a happy and successful work place. The premises is brand spanking new and clean (imperative for our product); the staff are paid well and work on shifts six days a week. We run the factory from the UK and speak to them on a daily basis (thank heavens for Skype!). We deal with everything that crops up on a daily basis, as if it was here in the UK, and employ people of all ages and skill levels to make our product.

we take things a step further than most and employ a full time housekeeper / cook who cooks lunch for all our staff fresh from scratch every day. This meal is coordinated so that the factory stops for an hour every midday to allow the staff to eat and rest before continuing work in the afternoon. This encourages the staff to bond with each other during this break time rather than spend time chatting when they should be working during production hours!