Code of Responsible Business Conduct

(based on OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains in the Garment and Footwear Sector, OECD Publishing, Paris)

Respect is a requisite of freedom, and as such, it is a core value of Hosn. Through working together, we can support society while nurturing our environment, enabling humanity to progress beyond its current state. Hosn hope to contribute a bit of confidence to reduce unnecessary struggles, allowing people to focus on the bigger picture, beyond short-term profits and unbalanced human interactions.

From a practical point of view, Hosn can reduce the number of garments needed, contribute to a shift away from seasonal fashion, and support sustainable resources for production.

Our contribution is our reputation. And that reflects the value of our brand. By raising social and environmental awareness with our customers, we can both expand our competitive advantage, attract suitable business and retail partners, and offer a positive contribution to the long-term development of our world.

As a business of the 21st century, we take our global responsibility seriously. Risks need to be avoided by identifying them as early as possible, coming up with solutions to avoid adverse impacts and address them as efficiently as possible, should they occur.

Human rights, labour and working conditions

We check our suppliers with the Business & Human Rights Resource Center, as well as amnesty international. We also screen our production partners on-site to ensure respectful labour conditions, meeting standards of the International Labour Organization, e.g. equal wages for equal work, proper occupational safety, hygiene and access to clean water and environments.

We are determined to prevent forced labour, child labour, homework, gender- or race-based harassment and other discrimination against people in our supply chain.

Our employees work in the EU and are protected by labour unions, ensuring adequate renumeration and excellent working conditions.

We keep active communication with 3rd party employees to share our vision and listen to potential risks. We encourage internal and external employees and partners to inform us of issues at diligent@agentsuits.com.

Just as Hosn aim to fit every human well, no matter their individual differences, so do we treat men and women with equal respect, and expect the same of our partners. We draw the line at disrespectful behaviour and will not work with those who actively impede people’s rights.

Community health, safety and security

Clothes spend a lot of time hugging our skin, so we make sure to avoid hazardous chemical components that might cause long-term health issues. Our fabrics are OekoTex certified and bluesign approved to reflect our commitment. Garments are free of Formaldehyde and Benzidine.

As a European company, we adhere to standards on safety information and health warnings. Fabric compositions are publicly available, “free of” claims are certified by our suppliers.

We put effort into making healthy and comfortable garments that offer true benefits beyond the state-of-the-art. Of course, there are always challenges and potential improvement, which we embrace as part of our path. Thus, we are proud to communicate all steps taken.

We all carry the world on our shoulders.

Transfer of know-how and technology

As an innovative company it is in our interest that our workers achieve standards beyond the state-of-the-art. For this, occupational training and sharing of expertise is necessary.

At the same time, we need to protect our competitive advantage through NDAs and related contracts, patents and IPR management.

So we segment know-how across different departments and partner companies and strive to enhance expertise in technology and craftsmanship in those segments locally.

 

Combating bribery

We check our partners in manufacture, export and investment against debarment lists of international financial institutions, to assure that our supply chain coherently avoids bribery in all activities. Furthermore, we prefer working with partners in regions which have effectively implemented anti-bribery legislation.

For global operations, we are aware that transportation and storage, customs, and retail are amongst the highest risk sectors for bribery. To monitor manufacturing and retail partners, inventory is tracked precisely to avoid fabrics being sold or given without consent. Furthermore, we enforce a transparent system of payment tracking and we opt to work with partners who can scale their revenue with ours fairly for a long-term relationship of business growth.

 

Disclosure & taxation

Based in Austria, Hosn invests primarily in European materials, products and professionals. We contribute to governmental expenses through transparent taxation. The same goes for foreign operations.

Our shareholder structure is publicly available. We are proud of our team and partners and present them accordingly.

We are aware of our responsibility as an international enterprise. Our due diligence guidelines are publicly available, and we strive to communicate our successes in these aspects.

We expect fair competition and transparency in all business dealings, we fight bribery and IP infringements, especially rip-offs and copies of our innovative product line.

 

Personal data

Hosn is developed together with working professionals to ensure cutting-edge relevance to our target audiences. For his purpose, general contact data (e-mail, phone, occasionally address data) is processed. For samples, additional personal data (gender, sizing information) is required for the manufacturing process. All data is handled corresponding to the General Data Protection Regulation.

 

Human participants

There are no health hazards involved in the research process. Only materials that have previously been approved to be non-harmful when worn on skin are used for prototyping.

Avoidance of hazardous chemicals

Through production in the EU, the risk of hazardous chemicals being used in production is highly regulated. In addition, we work with OekoTex and bluesign certified mills.

 

Environmental resource efficiency and pollution prevention

Like any production company, we aim to minimize material overheads. Starting from the design phase, we optimize cuts and features, e.g. by using a single lining between double pockets, reducing the use of non-degradable elements – and of course by making garments that don’t go out of style and that can replace several other trousers and jackets in any wardrobe.

Our sourcing process goes directly through us. This way, we can minimise dependencies on supply from unknown sources, adding transparency to our supply chain.

Our products make use of artificial and natural fibres.

We work on responsible sourcing with our mills Mectex and Rodea Solvay to optimize resources for synthetic fibres. Recycled fabrics are used where available. However, recycled plastic fabrics often require as much energy to recycle as is needed to produce them. Thus, our focus is on biodegradable fabrics that enable decomposition in post-disposal conditions.

 

Sustainable management of living natural resources

For natural fibres, such as bamboo and cotton, we aim to select sustainable sources that are FSC certified, protect pristine forests, support biodiversity, and avoid ecosystem degradation through land degradation, hazardous waste or water resource depletion.

We all carry the world on our shoulders.

Reduction of water use

Water wastage needs to be addressed primarily during fabric production, as well as in the lifecycle of the products:

For natural resources, growing must strictly regulate the use of fertilisers and pesticides, avoid upper catchment areas to lower the risk of contaminating the water basin, as well as monitoring the amounts of water used.

For yarn production, we choose manufacturing partners that are not in water-stressed areas or that source water responsibly, and that have access to suitable wastewater infrastructure. Within factories, wastewater should be treated effectively and water management should aim for zero liquid discharge.

By using dirt-repellent and odour-managing materials, we reduce the amount of laundering and detergent necessary. In addition, our suit trousers do not need to be dry cleaned, further reducing environmental impact in the use phase. Quick-dry fabrics also reduce the need to tumble dry, saving energy.

 

Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions

Greenhouse gas emissions pertain to atmospheric gases causing climate change: CO2, CH4, N2O, HFCs, PFCs, SF6. As our in-house emissions are negligible (we use our Hosn for cycling), we aim to evaluate our supply chain by direct emissions and consumption of purchased energy to choose those partners that can minimise the total carbon footprint of Hosn. A major factor in reducing GHG emissions is in working with natural fibres instead of synthetic fibres where equal performance and comfort can be achieved.

Transportation by freight is another key factor. Hosn are made in the EU, sourcing in Italy and producing in Austria, making sure Hosn travel less before they are made than when they are in use by our customers.
For bespoke production, we aim to expand our network of local tailors to minimize global shipping.

For packaging, we are skipping disposable plastics and employing natural materials and metals that can be put to practical use after shipping. Hosn also pack very small and lighter than jeans, reducing the amount of packaging and positively impacting energy use in transportation.

For printing, we rely on local and certified partners in Austria to deliver long-lasting quality that respects the environment in production and laundering, just as it respects the skin.

 

Overview of cornerstone risks