WOOLWORTHS - SA’S FIRST AND ONLY RETAILER WITH A TRACEABLE GARMENT JOURNEY
If there’s one thing to know and trust about Woolworths, it’s that their vision and service is anchored in quality and transparency. That’s now bolstered with the release of their transparency garment journey.
We all want what’s best for our children and it starts as soon as they enter this world; from receiving them in your arms for the first time to clothing them in products that are made in the safest and most responsible way possible.
For South African retailer Woolies, this goes beyond a commitment to do their best for their customers. In addition to having stringent rules for all of their suppliers, customers can take further comfort in being able to trace Woolworths garments lifecycles and be empowered to make better choices for their families and themselves.
This bold move is a first for South Africa and a strong show of confidence from the retailer who’s openly publishing their supplier list, with every single supplier being vetted and found compliant. This documented journey extends to social and ethical compliance, factory visibility, traceability and animal welfare.
Woolies is launching their transparency journey with the baby range.
“Woolworths goes to great lengths to make sure that they deliver the best quality and the best integrity in our babywear and it starts at the very beginning. All of our baby knit products are made from combed cotton, which is a superior type of cotton. It brings with it better comfort, a softer feel and a better durability and longevity and that extends to the entire manufacturing process,” shares Lawrence Pillay, Head of Global Sourcing and Technology at Woolworths.
One of their manufacturing partners is local clothing craftsmen, Juan’re, who carefully and skillfully create each baby garment to the strictest quality control process and in turn, source only from an accredited list of suppliers.
“One of the requirements for the baby range is that we develop products with 100% BCI cotton. BCI cotton forms part of a better cotton initiative, which is cotton that is sustainably sourced. We also source non-ferrous, nickel-free studs, which is a requirement in their baby wear department,” comments Chanaye Pillay, Director of Business Development at Juan’re Clothing Manufacturers.
Other safety steps to protect your little mini-mes include scanning each and every garment through a metal detector to detect any risks of a broken needle or metal piece being lodged in the garments.
And this is only the beginning. Lawrence explains that their garment suppliers are the first stage of their intervention.
It’s a mammoth task if one considers all the steps in garment making and the volume of suppliers a business like Woolworths partners with to deliver a high quality product, which will soon see them also declaring their fabric mills, who they buy fabrics from, their spinning mills and where they buy their yarn from. All the way through to their fibres.
“It’s a holistic approach that we have adopted to being transparent about what we do,” explains Lawrence.
It’s a strong show of the retailer’s commitment to making a difference by doing all it takes to deliver quality and reinforce our trust for the brand. In the process, they’re helping us all make better choices to buy products that we know where they come from, are made with protecting our planet in mind, and are supporting our communities and our people.
Shop responsibly-made garments in store, online or via the Woolworths app today.
