My Childe

Our Sourcing & Purchasing Policy

My Childe was established in 2020 and conducts business in a manner which reflects our values and long term sustainability. We are committed to ensuring that the social and ethical implications of manufacturing in all our source locations are considered responsibly.

As a new business ‘designing out’ plastic in children's essentials, we are lucky to have the opportunity to Start from Zero. Building a business from the ground up, we are able to innovate to minimise our impact - on the environment, in human and labour rights and workplace safety.  

Our commitment includes working with suppliers to maintain high ethical and social standards in the supply chain and using responsibly sourced fabrics in all of our products. We acknowledge there is no quick fix to making a positive impact on the planet and we will continue to work with our suppliers and develop initiatives throughout the business to maintain our focus on best practice and sustainability. We will learn from our experiences and always aim to successfully design and implement a roadmap for our key areas of operation. 

We are new, and we are continually adapting as we learn and will evolve as our business grows. 

  1. Purpose

My Childe is committed to responsible sourcing and purchasing, which includes protecting the livelihoods of vulnerable workers in our supply chain and upholding human rights standards. This policy defines our approach to responsible sourcing and purchasing practices. We are committed to operating ethically and responsibly in all areas of our business, and working with our global supply chain to ensure that sourcing and purchasing decisions, and other supporting processes, meet or exceed these standards. Regardless of their location, all manufacturers are required to adhere to our high ethical, social and environmental standards.

  1. Scope

This policy applies to all business units engaged in sourcing and purchasing goods, materials, services and intellectual property assets for My Childe brands and products.


Engagement 

My Childe only deals with companies/suppliers/partners that adhere to ILO (International Labour Organization) standards as minimum standards of basic labour rights: Such as freedom of association, the right to organise, collective bargaining, abolition of forced labour, equality of opportunity and treatment, and other standards regulating conditions for employees.

Prior to engaging with any potential suppliers, My Childe will conduct rigorous background research to ensure alignment with our principles.  We will start with: 

  • Desktop research to investigate any public record of breaches to date

  • Any negative material impacts 

  • Research into their workforce standards to ensure these align with My Childe’s Workplace Standards

  • Engaging Control Risks and going through their process.

If these conditions are met, and all background research comes back positively, we will follow-up with an on-site inspection as a precursor to our engagement.    

  1. Policy

Our responsible sourcing and purchasing policies shall support and lead our decision making and process development. 

This aligns with our commitment to:

  • Long-term partnerships with suppliers delivering sustainable compliance and a track record in reducing or removing environmental impacts while maintaining and achieving product safety standards.

  • Product development, order placement/purchasing, and production lead times that reduce the risk of excessive overtime, unauthorised subcontracting, or other negative supply chain impacts; and

  • Contractual and financial terms, including the safeguarding of legally mandated wages, benefits & compensation;

As a guide to our implementation of responsible sourcing and purchasing practices in our organisation, we have translated these policy objectives below: 

1)  We will pay suppliers on-time:  We are aware of the pressure of late payment on our suppliers and their employees. Therefore, we will agree to fair terms of payment, including making on-time payments in line with agreed timeframes.

2)  We will work with our suppliers to minimise quality issues or late delivery: We will develop systems that help suppliers minimise quality or late delivery issues.

3)  We will negotiate constructively for wage & benefit protection:  We want to support the long-term retention of a skilled and stable supplier workforce. When negotiating with suppliers, we will do so in a constructive and collaborative manner to ensure we’re accounting for and protecting labour costs.

4)  We will minimise order cancellations as that will impact our suppliers’ production/ efficiency: We will apply forecasting, demand and supply planning processes to minimise late order changes or cancellations.

5)  We will place orders to suppliers with advance notice: We will provide suppliers with the necessary advance notice of production orders to allow for effective production planning and support them in balancing volumes, to better manage peaks and troughs.

6)  We will ensure clear and efficient communication: We will create clear, transparent, and mutually productive lines of communication with suppliers to help to improve efficiencies.

7)  We want to build long-term, prosperous partnerships with our suppliers: We will strive for long term mutually-beneficial relationships with our supply chain partners who share our values and commitment.

8)  We will work together with suppliers to create long-term financial stability: We want to partner with our suppliers to improve their business performance and long-term financial stability. Their stability helps our growth. 

9)  We will provide a minimum of three months formal notice when terminating the service of a supplier: If we do need to conclude a relationship with a long-term supplier, we will provide early notice and a commitment to work with these suppliers to develop responsible exit plans that aim to mitigate any adverse impacts on the supplier and its workforce.

  1. Roles & responsibilities

All teams engaged in development, planning, costing, sourcing, and purchasing activities are expected to conduct their work consistently with the principles of this policy. 

My Childe senior management will regularly review this policy and related procedures to ensure they remain relevant and effective. We will train the My Childe team on our commitments to responsible purchasing practices and we will continue to learn and refine our processes in line with our commitment to responsible Sourcing and Purchasing.

  1. Geopolitical Risk 

 

My Childe recognises the threat that escalating international and internal political tensions can pose to its operations, performance, and culture. My Childe will continuously assess the risks that matter the most to the business creating short-term, midterm, and long-term response strategies to ensure that the company can handle a fast-changing situation or emergency.

 

  1.  External Supply Chain risk

 

My Childe proactively manages external supply chain risks caused by any interruptions to the flow of product, whether raw material or parts within the supply chain. External risks also include environmental risks from outside the supply chain; usually related to economic, social, governmental, and climate factors, including the threat of terrorism. Risks will be entered on a risk register and tracked rigorously on an ongoing basis with the view to always improve the resilience and agility of the supply chain.

 

  1. Referenced policies

The following policies should be read in conjunction with respective this policy:

 • My Childe Workplace Standards. This assists us in selecting and retaining business partners who follow business practices consistent with our policies and values. 

  1. Exceptions

Any exception to this policy must be at the prior direction of the policy owner and the main contacts mentioned in section 7.

  1. Contact

For any questions or further information please contact Georgina Carberry, CEO and Founder. georgina@mychilde.com