External examinations
"With us, an exam is - not an exam". This statement comes from our technical director. Test situations don't upset him or us. Probably because we are enormously strict with ourselves. This applies to the quality of our processes and their efficiency just as much as to the use of resources and the finished product.
That's why we like to be looked over our shoulder regularly: in external audits on quality and environmental management, energy efficiency and for the standard of our textile solutions.
We distinguish between company certificates and product certificates. ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 50001, for example, are company certificates, while Fair Trade Cotton is a product certificate.
Social audits are another component. The Workplace Conditions Assessment (WCA) report checks the conditions at the workplace, including working hours and remuneration, occupational safety and the working environment.
Last but not least, our customers like to see the Otto standards for themselves and regularly put us to the test. Processors working in the medical sector are even legally obliged to disclose their supply chain and check the sources.
In total, this means we have around ten audits - every year.
This regular "card-check" therefore has various functions for us:
Our certificates show our customers that we deserve their trust.
They are a means for our mission to be able to offer demonstrably sustainable, high-quality and future-oriented products.
They are an incentive for the future and a tool for our valuable position in the textile chain.