West Elm Aims to Craft Improved Supply Chain Transparency
By Dinah Wisenberg Brin
Count home furnishings retailer West Elm among the companies focusing attention on supply chain transparency.
The Williams-Sonoma Inc.-owned business, based in Brooklyn, last month announced its plan to buy $35 million in hand-crafted products through 2015, representing a 40% increase over the next two years.
West Elm, making the announcement at the Clinton Global Initiative annual meeting, also vowed to make and source the products “from businesses adhering to high social responsibility, health and safety standards, meeting local laws, best industry practices and the brand’s vendor code of conduct.”
West Elm President Jim Brett said the commitment reflects both customers’ demand for hand-crafted products and “their growing concern for the preservation of cultural heritage and the safety of the hands behind the work.”
The move also formalizes the work that West Elm and Williams-Sonoma are doing support artisan businesses and protect the craftspeople, said Williams-Sonoma President and CEO Laura Alber.
“West Elm has seen incredible growth over the past three years, due in part to the brand’s offering of unique handcrafted and artisan made products, a key differentiator in the market,” she said.
Artisan activity is the second-largest employer across developing nations, following agriculture, according to West Elm. The company said that over the next two years, it will work with a network of more than 20 artisan groups in 15 countries, including the United States.
All West Elm suppliers sign a vendor code of conduct and the company said it follows California Transparency in Supply Chains Act disclosure requirements. The company said it conducts third-party audits and first-party factory reviews to assure compliance with its social-responsibility, health and safety standards.
Companies in numerous industries, including clothing retail, food and energy, are focusing increased attention to transparent supply chains in efforts to minimize negative effects on the environment and laborers.
West Elm’s blog features some of the craftspeople who make their products, like this recent feature on Indian weavers.
