Sustainability
Production & Logistics
Good gloves come from good workplaces
Hestra operates five own factories and has a selected number of external manufacturing partners. We aim for quality and high ethical production standards for our gloves.
MANUFACTURING 70 PER CENT IN OWN FACTORIES
Hestra currently has factories in Hungary, Vietnam, China and Cambodia. It is in these countries that we find the knowledge, craftsmanship tradition and skilled people qualified to sew Hestra gloves to the high quality we strive for. In 2023/24, we focused on integrating the new glove factory in Cambodia (taken over at the end of 2022) into our business and to establish and build up another facility in Vietnam. Owning our factories gives us greater control, facilitates production planning and helps us to build up and keep knowledge within the company. Another important aspect is that we are able to directly exert influence on our working conditions, environmental impact and, of course, quality. This reduces our risk exposure, but it also presents challenges as each employee needs a stable workload. It is therefore important for us to balance workloads throughout the year and between factories. In addition to our factories, we have a limited network of selected external manufacturing partners that account for around 30 per cent of our production. These relationships are characterised by long-term commitments.
Hestra factory, Vietnam.
Owning our factories gives us greater control, facilitates production planning and helps us to build up and keep knowledge within the company.
Own factories
IMPROVING SOCIAL PERFORMANCE WITH AMFORI BSCI
Our membership of amfori BSCI is a crucial part of assessing social conditions, both within partner organisations and in our own factories. Amfori BSCI works to improve social performance in global supply chains and conduct comprehensive audits. All Hestra factories, except the new one in Cambodia, are members of the organisation and are audited regularly. Our factory in Hungary received an A rating, which means the factory is exemplary, while the factories in Vietnam and China received a C rating. Our target is for all factories to achieve a B rating. In 2023/24, 89 per cent of our gloves were produced in factories audited by amfori BSCI and we aim to increase this percentage. Common areas for improvement include working hours, insurance coverage and social management systems. Some products are made in smaller factories or studios that may not currently have the resources to join amfori BSCI. However, these partners must still meet our supplier requirements. Visiting them regularly, we do also get a picture of the working conditions on-site.
ISO CERTIFICATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL STANDARDS
With our commitment to quality and environmental safety, it is only natural that both our headquarter and Hestra’s factories are ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certified. Environmental stewardship and compliance are prerequisites for our operations. Hestra adheres to the precautionary principle and we always stay abreast of changes in environmental legislation.
The plan is to have the Cambodia factory BSCI audited in Q4 2024 and ISO certified within the upcoming years.
Hestra factory, Vietnam.
Production in Hestra factory, Vietnam.