Services

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• Select right manufacturer for articles based on Price, Quality, Supply & CSR.
• Support product development with construction, function, design & quality to create lowest price.
• New manufacturer evaluations with Price, Quality & CSR assessment.

• Support supplier on product development to secure quality.
• Pilot run approval before bulk production start for articles. 
• Mid line inspection if required. 
• Final inspections on AQL basis before shipment.

• Make & follow-up production plans with suppliers to execute orders on time.
• Follow-up post shipment export documents. 
• Suggest improvements based on performance evaluations.

Is supplier hiring workers that meet minimum age requirement set by local laws? Are the workers at supplier’s facility working overtime within the maximum allowed number of hours? Is the factory where product is manufactured providing insurance and other benefits mandated by law to their staff?

A lack of care in investigating supplier and answering these questions surrounding social compliance can cause to lose market image for the retail brand. Most big retailers like H&M & IKEA do social compliance audits from time to time from their manufacturers.

SA8000 standard requirements:

The SA8000 standard is based on the UN Declaration of Human Rights, national labour laws and international human rights norms. SA8000 is a voluntary standard for social compliance used by many third-party auditors. An audit of your supplier using the SA8000 standard will verify the following nine requirements:

1. Child labour

An audit using the SA8000 standard will look for violations involving child labour. Adherence to local and national laws will generally mean that a supplier is compliant with this section. Besides age restrictions, the standard requires that:

• Young workers meet compulsory education laws and don’t work during school hours
• Young workers do not work more than eight hours per day and
• Children or young workers are not subject to unsafe working conditions

2. Forced labour

This requirement ensures that a supplier is not employing forced or slave labour and not withholding personal documents, salary or benefits from workers. It also requires that staff have the right to leave the workplace at the end of each workday.

Forced labour is an important aspect of social compliance that has made its way into some specific legislature outside of voluntary standards. 

3. Health and safety

Health and safety is a broader requirement of the SA8000 standard concerning minimizing or eliminating hazards in the workplace. There are some specific requirements, such as:

• Organizations must assess health risks for new, expectant and nursing mothers
• Staff must be provided with appropriate protective equipment (e.g. hardhats, gloves, respirators); and
• Staff must have free access to clean toilet facilities, potable water and sanitary facilities for food storage

4. Freedom of association and collective bargaining

The point of freedom of association and collective bargaining is one that can be somewhat contended by local or national law. The requirement allows workers the right to organize trade unions of their choosing.

SA8000 has a provision to address this, requiring organizations to allow workers to freely elect their own representatives. It also protects workers belonging to unions from discrimination, harassment or intimidation.

5. Discrimination

The SA8000 standard protects workers from discrimination on the basis of race, origin, caste, gender, religion, political affiliation and many other attributes.

Suppliers that meet this requirement cannot interfere with exercises of worker’s rights to certain practices related to religion, such as prayer. Suppliers cannot allow abusive, threatening or coercive behavior in the workplace. And suppliers cannot force staff to take pregnancy or virginity tests.

6. Disciplinary practices

This standard requires that suppliers treat staff with “dignity and respect”. This forbids inhumane treatment, corporal punishment, coercion or verbal abuse.

7. Working hours

Similar to the standard’s section addressing collective bargaining, local or national laws can also grant suppliers more leniency with regard to working hours. Suppliers are required to allow at least one day of rest following six consecutive days of working. But an exception is made for national laws that allow for more work time and agreements reached by collective bargaining.

Aside from standard working hours, SA8000 touches on overtime as well. Suppliers must make overtime voluntary, and overtime hours cannot exceed 12 hours per week.

8. Remuneration

An audit of supplier using the SA8000 standard will investigate whether or not supplier is paying a living wage to workers. Wages paid by supplier need to be enough to cover basic needs of the staff and allow for discretionary income.

The standard dictates that the supplier cannot withhold or deduct wages for disciplinary reasons, unless permitted by national law or collective bargaining agreement. Suppliers must also reimburse workers for overtime at a premium rate defined by national law or collective bargaining agreement.

9. Management system

Suppliers to become SA8000 compliant, there are several steps management must take regarding corrective actions, preventative measures, policies and documentation. This is a lengthy section outside the scope of this article, but some of the main points are as follows:

• Senior management must inform staff of their intention to comply with SA8000 with a written policy statement
• Supplier must appropriately document conformance and implementation of the standard
• Supplier must set up a Social Performance Team (SPT) to oversee implementation of the SA8000 standard, as well as identify and assess risks
• Supplier must develop a written grievance procedure that is confidential and  non-retaliatory; and
• Supplier must train staff to implement the SA8000 standard

Build Trust and Credibility

The success of our business is dependent on the trust and confidence we earn from our employees, customers and our suppliers. We gain credibility by adhering to our commitments, displaying honesty and integrity and reaching company goals solely through honourable conduct. It is easy to say what we must do, but the proof is in our actions. Ultimately, we will be judged on what we do.

When considering any action, it is wise to ask: will this build trust and credibility for Nordisk India Sourcing Pvt. Ltd. (NiS)?  Will it help create a working environment in which NiS can succeed over the long term? Is the commitment I am making one I can follow through with? The only way we will maximize trust and credibility is by answering “yes” to those questions and by working every day to build our trust and credibility.

Respect for the Individual

We all deserve to work in an environment where we are treated with dignity and respect. NiS is committed in creating such an environment because it brings out the full potential in each of us, which, in turn, contributes directly to our business success.

Create and support a Open & Honest Culture Communication

At NiS everyone should feel comfortable to speak his or her mind, particularly with respect to ethics concerns. We have a responsibility to create an open and supportive environment where people feel comfortable raising such questions. We all benefit tremendously when people exercise their power to prevent mistakes or wrongdoing by asking the right questions at the right times.

Uphold the Law

NiS’s commitment to integrity begins with complying with laws, rules and regulations where we do business. Further, each of us must have an understanding of the company policies, laws, rules and regulations that apply to our specific roles. We are responsible for preventing violations of law and for speaking up if we see possible violations.

Competition

We are dedicated to ethical, fair and vigorous competition. We will support supplier’s product and services based on their merit, superior quality, functionality and competitive pricing. We will make independent pricing and business decisions and will not improperly cooperate or coordinate our activities with our competitors. We will not offer or solicit improper payments or gratuities in connection with the purchase of goods or services from suppliers for the sales of its products or services, nor will we engage or assist in unlawful boycotts of particular suppliers.

Proprietary Information

It is important that we respect the property rights of others. We will not acquire or seek to acquire improper means of a competitor’s trade secrets or other proprietary or confidential information. We will not engage in unauthorized use, copying, distribution or alteration of software or other intellectual property.

Selective Disclosure

We will not selectively disclose (whether in one-on-one or small discussions, meetings, presentations, proposals or otherwise) any material non-public information with respect to suppliers or retailers, its securities, business operations, plans, financial condition, results of operations or any development plan. We should be particularly vigilant when making presentations or proposals to customers to ensure that our presentations do not contain material non-public information.

Avoid Conflicts of Interest

Conflicts of Interest

We must avoid any relationship or activity that might impair, or even appear to impair, our ability to make objective and fair decisions when performing our jobs. At times, we may be faced with situations where the business actions we take on behalf of associates may conflict with our own personal or family interests. We owe a duty to our associates to advance its legitimate interests when the opportunity to do so arises. We must never use our associates property or information for personal gain or personally take for ourselves any opportunity that is discovered through our position with NiS.

Gifts, Gratuities and Business Courtesies

NiS is committed to competing solely on a merit of our services. We should avoid any actions that create a perception that favourable treatment of outside entities by NiS was sought, received or given in exchange for personal business courtesies. Business courtesies include gifts, gratuities, meals, refreshments, entertainment or other benefits from persons or companies with whom NiS does or may do business. We will neither give nor accept business courtesies that constitute, or could reasonably be perceived as constituting, unfair business inducements that would violate law, regulation or polices of NiS or customers, or would cause embarrassment or reflect negatively on NiS’s reputation.

Accepting Business Courtesies

Most business courtesies offered to us in the course of our employment are offered because of our positions at NiS. We should not feel any entitlement to accept and keep a business courtesy. Although we may not use our position at NiS to obtain business courtesies, and we must never ask for them, we may accept unsolicited business courtesies that promote successful working relationships and good will with the firms that NiS maintains or may establish a business relationship with.

Employees who award contracts or who can influence the allocation of business, who create specifications that result in the placement of business or who participate in negotiation of contracts must be particularly careful to avoid actions that create the appearance of favouritism or that may adversely affect the company’s reputation for impartiality and fair dealing. The prudent course is to refuse a courtesy from a supplier when NiS is involved in choosing or reconfirming a supplier or under circumstances that would create an impression that offering courtesies is the way to obtain business through NiS.

Meals, Refreshments and Entertainment

We may accept occasional meals, refreshments, entertainment and similar business courtesies that are shared with the person who has offered to pay for the meal or entertainment, provided that:

• They      are not inappropriately lavish or excessive.
• The      courtesies are not frequent and do not reflect a pattern of frequent      acceptance of courtesies from the same person or entity.
• The      courtesy does not create the appearance of an attempt to influence      business decisions, such as accepting courtesies or entertainment from a      supplier whose contract is expiring in the near future.
• The      employee accepting the business courtesy would not feel uncomfortable      discussing the courtesy with his or her manager or co-worker or having the      courtesies known by the public.

Gifts

Employees may accept unsolicited gifts, other than money, that conform to the reasonable ethical practices of the marketplace, including:

• Flowers,      fruit baskets and other modest presents that commemorate a special      occasion.
• Gifts      of nominal value, such as calendars, pens, mugs, caps and t-shirts (or      other novelty, advertising or promotional items).

Generally, employees may not accept compensation, honoraria or money of any amount from entities with whom NiS does or may do business. Tangible gifts (including tickets to a sporting or entertainment event) that have a market value greater than $100 may not be accepted unless approval is obtained from management. 

Scandinavia has a cultural and regional entity that is very distinct from the rest of Europe and these countries having managed to remain at peace with one another for nearly 200 years, despite differences between the different countries. Given the limited nature of raw material resources available to the region and the harsh climate with 9 months of winter, the natural world has remained influenced by Scandinavian designs.

 

And we are proud to be associated with Scandinavia, though we breathe the south Asian air, but we like to keep things simple, heads clear and minds open, which we inheriteduring our stay and associated with Scandinavia for more than two decades. We have enough experience of complex problems to know that the simplest solutions are often the best. We’ve not only taken this to our hearts but also to our workstations, where we aim towards delivering simple, intuitive and positive solutions. 

Scandinavian designs are characterized by simplicity, functionality, and clean lines. Minimalism is an important concept that is echoed through these designs in order to create home furnituring articles that contributes to a simple home environment that is designed to improve one's daily life.

Materials are generally chosen for their beauty and durability. Lightly colored textiles are often selected to make Scandinavian designs. 

In addition, metal and plastic are other materials that are often used in Scandinavian home furnituring articles to shape and color options. 

For bedlinen, curtain, throws & natural fabrics, such as linen, cotton & wool are key choices for these designs. Scandinavian design places a strong importance on the organic, which has lead to the adoption of sustainability and eco-friendliness as key factors in the selection of the materials. The designs are often developed using a 360 degree design methodology to ensure that the entire looks good from every angle.

Scandinavian designs is stark contrast and often choose to emphasize contrast by featuring bold colors alongside natural materials, such as wood, leather, and metal. Scandinavian homes often feature white or off-white interiors as a means of magnifying the natural light that enters the home. 

Abstract shapes are often used to transform everyday interior design elements.  Although the natural finish is often maintained, the resulting shapes of the materials are significantly distinct from those that would occur naturally.

Geometric, free form, and organic patterns are common given this design style's emphasis on nature. Rounded edges offer modern appeal and are designed to eliminate distractions and to make surfaces easy to move around. Scandinavian furniture designs tend to also feature lighter and more airy frames.