Planet | Products & Packaging | People & Partners
We are all One Team at The White Company, from our Head Office, Distribution Center and beautiful stores to our partners and suppliers. We are determined to ensure that when our product is made, great care and attention has been taken to better the livelihoods of the workers involved.
Our target is to have full traceability of our supply chain from farm or forest (Tier 4 suppliers) by 2025.
All our Tier 1 suppliers have third-party audits and we review them annually, sharing best practice where there is the opportunity. Over 80% of our suppliers have been our partners for longer than 10 years. We score our suppliers on ethical trade and sustainability and offer training and support. We also implement ‘beyond audit’ programs where necessary, and use the Ethical Trade Initiative’s (ETI) Human Rights Due Diligence Framework to identify the most vulnerable people and diagnose issues in our supply chain. Read more about our ETI commitments here.
85% of all our products come from five key countries: China, Portugal, the UK, Turkey and India. We also source from specialist artisan suppliers from Denmark, Spain and Vietnam. We use a total of 236 approved and audited factories worldwide as Tier 1 suppliers.
We have reached Achiever level of the ETI and have been active members for 10 years. We aim to play a proactive role in ensuring the rights of workers in our supply chain are upheld, as well as advocating for wider changes in labor practices to enable systematic progress. We want to be a force for positive change by creating good jobs and working conditions, and support all regulatory improvements for higher industry standards.
Our dedicated Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) team ensures suppliers follow our strict Code of Conduct. As part of our continued CSR commitment, we fully support the Modern Slavery Act.
We want to make authentic, positive changes within our business, and provide educational opportunities for our employees that create a more inclusive and welcoming environment for all. Our mission is to create a culture of transparency that celebrates our differences, where everyone is included, making us stronger together.
The White Company’s founder is Chrissie Rucker OBE and 50% of the Board of Directors are women.
Our people take part in our annual Employee Engagement Survey – the results of which are reported across the business, with remedial action proposed where needed.
All employees are paid above the minimum wage regardless of age and we are an equal pay by gender employer. We publish our gender pay report as an important part of sharing our approach towards not only transparent and equal pay, but also diversity and equity as a whole, within our internal teams, our prospective employees and the wider community.
We have an internal Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) working group and have rolled out EDI training across all areas of our business.
We offer a formal onboarding process for all new joiners, plus ongoing training and cross-skill learning and development courses, as well as regular reviews.
We have an employee wellness programme takes a holistic approach to everyday wellbeing. Centred around six key areas, we focus on everything from maintaining positive mental health to promoting a wholesome, nutritious lifestyle.
We have a formal written health and safety policy and report our assessment annually.
From our The White Company community to the communities in which we live and support, we want you to get involved.
The White Company White Heart Foundation supports three charities, one of which is chosen by employees.
Our goal is to influence positive change across our company and within our industry, and to inspire our people and customers to live a more sustainable lifestyle.
We have established an internal Corporate Social Responsibility steering committee to enable all areas of our business to collaborate on making positive and consistent changes across The White Company.
We regularly participate in several Peer Sustainability and Ethics groups with other UK retailers to share opportunities and to move the industry forward as one.
We have introduced internal training on sustainability, terminology and greenwashing, available to all Head Office teams.
We are committed to communicating our sustainable initiatives simply and clearly to our customers, aiding their decision-making and helping them to make more sustainable lifestyle choices.
We campaign for change and have signed the BHRRC MHREDD letter to the UK government, pushing for legal change to ensure all companies and investors adhere to mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence.
