Empowering many voices

KMD Brands seeks not to be the best in the world, but the best for the world. It’s with this attitude that we continue to look for ways to improve the transparency of our supply chains and support the workers who make our products. 

In May 2023, we piloted AskYourTeam’s real-time, transparent survey system, Ethical Voice, in eight factories in our Kathmandu and Oboz supply chains. More than 4,500 office and production workers completed the survey, most of them on their own smartphones.  

We asked for feedback on a range of topics, from human rights to workplace health and safety, remuneration to worker aspirations. The 70% response rate was higher than expected and all suppliers demonstrated their commitment to deploy the survey at scale.  

More than 700 optional extra text comments told us that workers want to share their views. 

Online conversations with factory management complemented the survey data, and we gained valuable insights to help us create safer, fairer work environments. 

When we asked what KMD Brands could do to make the world a better place, the feedback was clear: use recycled and durable materials; reduce waste; elevate our attention on workers’ compensation and benefits; support humanitarian projects; and focus on high-quality products and order stability. 

Factory partners told us they appreciated the results, with one manager in particular noting: “The survey tool is valuable to our business, and we would use it independently.” 

The survey has since been deployed in China, hearing from 1860 manufacturing workers. For the first time, 654 workers within input materials facilities were engaged. 

As AskYourTeam’s Head of Product Craig Whitcombe notes: “AskYourTeam and KMD Brands are aligned about making a real difference for workers in supply chains… We are working together to define a new approach to building transparency in the supply chain, by giving workers a voice in expressing how they experience their workplace while creating products for KMD Brands.” 

In 2023, KMD Brands also held our first ESG Conference with suppliers in Bangladesh to better understand how we can work together to enhance our social and environmental impact. We explored ideas on measurement and monitoring, worker engagement, traceability, fair compensation and gender equality. 

We visited workers on the factory floor and held our first worker committee consultation to listen to the views of people who understand how one of our largest factories in Bangladesh operates. 

We funded training for Rip Curl and Kathmandu suppliers in China to help them improve their environmental management and develop family-friendly workplaces.  

We also deployed a comprehensive survey across our Tier 1 suppliers – in countries from India to Indonesia, Nepal to New Zealand – for all three of our brands. The multi-language survey asked suppliers to share their views on purchasing and commercial practices, and to consider how KMD Brands could better support them to improve their social and environmental impact.  

We now have clear priorities as we strive to be the best for people and planet.