Exploitation? No thanks!

Dibella decided many years ago to phase out the exploitative systems in Asia's textile and garment industry. Since then, we have successively switched to fibres and textiles from production sites that are certified according to high sustainability standards.

Disclosure of the supply chain and at least one valid social and environmental certificate are prerequisites for entering into a business relationship. We prefer vertically producing suppliers who, if possible, have spinning, weaving, dyeing and sewing under one roof and are STeP certified. In this way, we work with a manageable number of suppliers. Our declared goal is long-term cooperation based on trust. In concrete figures, this means that 97% of the total turnover in 2023 was generated with nine strategic suppliers. Our nine strategic suppliers are STeP and/or GOTS certified or certified according to other well established high standards such as Fairtrade, OCS, GRS, RCS. The business relationship with eight suppliers has existed for years.  All Dibella suppliers sign our anti-corruption principles as well as the supplier contract, which, among other things, excludes child and forced labour. We take responsibility for the effects of our actions, and we think about reparation. 

Every year, we draw up a supplier evaluation which, in addition to the usual market criteria such as service, reliability and price/performance, also includes certifications of the production partner. One criterion with a high weighting are certificates that are categorised according to environment/chemical management or social management/raw materials. The evaluation is carried out by the purchasing department in consultation with the management. The results of the evaluation are communicated to the suppliers and discussed with them. With the help of our supplier management, we recognise where our suppliers need further support. If there is a concrete need for action, we define a corresponding improvement plan together with the production partner. Dibella follows up on the implementation of this plan and is happy to actively support it if desired.

Certification according to high standards is a reliable criterion for assessing whether suppliers share our values. However, they are not the only criterion. Personal exchange with production partners is just as important to us, which is why we regularly visit them on site. Our suppliers are located in Pakistan (Karachi region, Faisalabad), India (Tamil Nadu region, Mumbai), China (Jiangsu region), Turkey (Denizli province) and Czech Republic (Jilmenice region and Děčín, Ústecký kra). In addition, our purchasing manager and our textile engineer are at the production sites. They advise suppliers, jointly define environmentally friendly, technological adjustments and, if desired, implement these together in the production facilities. Personal exchange not only with the supplier's management, but also with workers in the production facilities is important to us. In this way, we learn at an early stage where the shoe pinches. Of course, we are aware that language barriers present clear limits here. For a more comprehensive impression, we developed the "Suppliers CSR Checklist Visit Report". The checklist covers issues around safety at work, health and environmental aspects and documents our visit. Again, we are aware that completing the checklist reflects our subjective perception and there is still room for improvement. 

To improve living and working conditions in the textile chain, Dibella is committed to sustainably grown cotton and strict certifications that allow traceability down to the fibre level.

We find that the linking of the GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) and Fairtrade textile labels that we use offers a very good solution to largely address all social injustices and negative environmental impacts of the cotton industry. However, price-sensitive markets are currently not ready to appreciate the added value of the products in monetary terms. Due to the manifold effects of the Corona pandemic on our industry, we can assume that price sensitivity will continue in the coming months. We see the use of CmiA (Cotton made in Africa) certified cotton as another suitable and more price-conscious alternative. The label meets our strict specifications. We will therefore switch our core range to cotton with this label in the long term.

(see explanation of Dibella's certificates below).

For us, the Made in Green by Oeko-Tex label is a guarantee for materials that have been tested for harmful substances and produced in environmentally friendly factories and at safe and socially acceptable workplaces. As proof, textiles must meet the Standard 100 by Oeko-Tex and production sites must be certified according to Sustainable Textile Production (STeP) by Oeko-Tex. The latter also offers a high level of transparency, as a product ID can be used to trace the production plants and countries.

As part of a joint project with a Pakistani supplier, training was provided in the area of chemicals management. The aim of the project was the successful SteP certification of the production partner, which the supplier obtained with good results. The SteP certification system enables us to take a holistic view of production, combined with a dynamic improvement process.

95 % of our products are labelled Made in Green. The label stands for compliance with strict requirements, including wages and working hours. The minimum requirement in the area of social compatibility is the payment of equal wages. Thus, the label remains too vague in its demand for living wages. The same applies to the GOTS standard, which is why Dibella links GOTS certified textiles to the Fairtrade standard.  This standard has made a name for itself in particular through its fair pricing policy. Cotton farmers receive a minimum price for their cotton that covers the costs of sustainable production. In addition, a premium is paid, which often flows into projects for the village community. Our close cooperation with the Chetna cooperative in India also enables us to carry out our own education and training projects on site. In 2016, we established our own foundation - the GoodTextiles Foundation (www.goodtextiles.org) - to implement these projects. The projects are open to participation by third parties.  

We prefer to cooperate with vertical production companies. The so-called in-house production, i.e. many production steps under one roof, goes hand in hand with short distances.

For our MADE IN GREEN/SteP-certified products, compliance with prescribed emission limits to reduce the CO2 footprint at the production sites is mandatory.

Our textiles are shipped by container, we avoid air freight. We also cooperate with the environmentally conscious logistics partner Heppner. To offset our own CO2 emissions, we have set up the Dibella Forest reforestation project in India. 

We want to make our world "fit for grandchildren"; children are especially close to our hearts.

With the GoodTextiles Foundation, which we founded, we have implemented several school projects in India in cooperation with customers and the Chetna Cooperative. During the school lockdown in 2022, we supported with partners a mobile school as an interim project so that 1,500 children from ten villages could continue their education.

Even if we focus on the farm level, because this is where we see the best possible solutions,

we also take possible child labor in textile factories very seriously. Our products bearing the Made in Green seal are subject to the minimum social requirements of the German government, which prohibit child labor in accordance with the ILO Convention.