Improving the livelihood of workers (and their families) in our partner factories is one of the key objectives of our social sustainability strategy, and one of the ways we can offer tangible support is through supporting Fair Price Shops on factory premises in partnership with our suppliers.

We’re all affected by the current inflationary pressures, with prices from energy to daily necessities increasing more than we’ve known for many years in most European countries. But we’re not alone,  the cost of living has also increased in Asia, and notably in Bangladesh where daily necessities have seen increasing prices over recent months.

We’re very pleased that one of our factory partners has given us the opportunity to contribute to the establishment of a FAIR PRICE SHOP in their factories.

The shop was officially opened by our CEO Murielle Degeest and our partner’s senior management in late December 2022. We’re convinced this will allow workers involved in the production of our garments to access products that will help them and their families live better every day.

In addition to offering basic commodities at discounted prices, B&C’s support can in future allow for extra promotions with special discounts on selected products. The licensed operator who will run the shop has also committed to providing free medical insurance to workers who are loyal shoppers. That’s a great advantage for workers, their families and the community as a whole!

Only 30 apparel producing companies in Bangladesh have set-up this type facility for their workers so we are very proud that one of our trusted partners is amongst this number. It shows that we share the same values and it’s the perfect springboard for future partnerships focused on the continuous improvement of working conditions in factories.

The last couple of years have shown us how fragile health can be, even here in the developed world where we have accessible and high-quality healthcare. It has only served to reinforce how big the need is elsewhere in the world, where even the most basic health services are often out of reach of much of the population. Thanks to our official partnership with MSF (Médecins Sans Frontières), we now help support medical and humanitarian aid around the world.

At B&C we are constantly looking for ways in which we can actively bring to life our commitment to people. Better provision of healthcare, primarily of course in Bangladesh where we are closely bound to the local population, is now possible thanks to our corporate partnership with MSF (Médecins Sans Frontières).

MSF provides medical assistance to people affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters, or exclusion from healthcare. In Bangladesh for example, MSF runs an occupational health programme for people living in the Kamrangirchar slum area of Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka. Activities include curative care for people diagnosed with illnesses/morbidities, preventive services (e.g tetanus vaccination) and more. In just one year, MSF teams conducted almost 5,000 occupational health consultations in Kamrangirchar. We’re proud to be able to contribute to their efforts.

There is also a real crisis in Pakistan, where catastrophic flooding in Autumn 2022 has devastated homes and livelihoods, cutting off whole communities from food and water supplies and creating breeding grounds for diseases. These communities are ones we know and care about, as some are involved in the production of our garments. MSF are on the ground there, providing much needed humanitarian aid, which we also support through our partnership and contribution to their emergency fund.

Click here to find out more about MSF and their projects: MSF – Médecins Sans Frontières | Medical humanitarian organisation

How do we practice what we preach when it comes to sustainability? Thanks to regular internal and external audits, we make sure that our products are produced in the best possible circumstances. This is how we conduct them.

The fashion industry has often been under scrutiny for poor labour conditions or human rights violations.

But not B&C! We have consciously opted to invest in sustainability, offering you quality and the guarantee of good conduct.

That’s why we are member of the Fair Wear Foundation, a multi-stakeholder non-profit organisation guiding more than 140 textile brands to improve labour conditions in the garment industry. At the same time, we are member of amfori BSCI, that encompasses environmental conditions in their Code of Labour Practice.

Fair Wear Foundation regularly and independently audits B&C and its partner factories. Based on discussions with the management, thorough inspections of the factories and anonymous interviews with workers, detailed corrective actions are proposed to further improve the situation. This helps them reach excellence step by step. We’re very proud that these diligent ongoing actions mean that we are now A Fair Wear Foundation Leader.

Additionally, amfori BSCI audits are also conducted in our partner factories according to their standards. The requirements demand a strong commitment and involvement from all B&C departments. Our team of 22 people in Dhaka is key to closely monitor the progress of our factories. Our colleagues visit all factories almost on a daily basis. This helps to monitor the social standards are maintained, but also that no subcontracting is happening…

By partnering with the Fair Wear Foundation and amfori BSCI, we work together to improve the social and environmental performance of our supply chain. Thanks to regular audits and Corrective Action Plans follow-ups,we don’t have only one picture of our sustainability per year, but a continuous overview of the respect for people, product and planet throughout our production lines.

In total, 99% of the garments produced for B&C come from externally, independently audited factories. To put things in perspective, the minimum monitoring threshold requirement to be long-term member of the Fair Wear Foundation is 80%. So, we take the sustainability of (y)our garments very seriously.

95% of our team are locals and the head of our B&C Asian Office has a 25+ years of experience in Asia. Our Compliance Manager is a former Senior Auditor, and she drives consistent, efficient checks, follow-up and improvement processes. With the support of our team based in Europe and the Asian office, we make sure (y)our products are socially and environmentally sound.

As a responsible company we feel it’s our duty to reduce our environmental impact and so help prevent global warming exceeding 1.5° by the end of the century. Calculating our Corporate Carbon Footprint so we can consciously work to reduce it and offset it as necessary is key to our sustainability objectives. We’re proud that we’ve achieved our Carbon Neutral Company* goal in 2021, and we’ll continue our efforts every year.

*This does not cover emissions produced in the production process, from farm to warehouse.

Working with Climate Partner, a certified 3rd party, and in accordance with the guidelines of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG Protocol), we measured the emissions produced by our Head Office in Waterloo and our Local Liaison office in Dhaka including energy consumption, office supplies, waste, company travel etc*

Our 2021 emissions were 540 tonnes in CO₂ equivalent, setting our target for immediate offsetting and future reduction.

*This calculation does not cover emissions produced in the production process, from farm to warehouse.

The good news is we’ve already significantly reduced our emissions, by 44% in fact since 2019. We’re now looking forward, and we know we’ll have to work hard to keep our emissions as low as possible in the future.

We can only do this by making the best choices in energy, travel and office design and by implementing the right procedures in recycling and paperless communications. These are all things the whole B&C team is focused on, whatever their job.

We can’t reduce our emissions to zero but as it’s important for us that our European HQ and Asian Office be Carbon Neutral we decided to offset the 540 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent we produce by investing in recognised carbon offset projects such as the ones recognised by the Verified Carbon Standard, the Gold Standard and the Clean Development Mechanism.

Find out more about Carbon offset projects

We chose to support a project close to our production centres in Bangladesh. The Clean Cookstove project provides families with cooking systems that minimise energy consumption whilst limiting the negative health impacts and improving living conditions.

Families save energy, reduce carbon emissions and because smoke is led outside through a chimney they are no longer exposed to toxic smoke in their homes. It also helps to limit deforestation, as the cookstoves need less wood.

What’s more, this aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals we have committed to focus on.

We support the following carbon offset project

See our engagement in SDGS

Becoming a carbon neutral company is integral to our holistic approach to sustainability. To find out more about all our environmental, social and economic initiatives go to Sustainability | B&C Collection