CORPORATE
RESPONSIBILITY
March 2024
At RNF & Mexx we are aware of our responsibilities, and we are motivated to reduce the negative impact that our company has on people and planet. RNF & Mexx are committed to respect international standards on human rights and environment. We are aware that compliance to these standards is not easy to achieve but important to work towards. We are therefore increasing our efforts in the area of corporate social responsibility and sustainability.
In 2023 we conducted a first assessment of our sustainability performance through the EcoVadis Platform. Ecovadis assesses four thematic areas: environment, labour & human rights, ethics and sustainable procurement. RNF & Mexx have received a scorecard with performance rating ‘Good’ (47 out of 100 points). The assessment process and performance report have given us more insights in our strengths and weaknesses, and we are currently working on improvement measures.
As part of these improvements, we are working on new and improved policies; and getting better systems and documentation in place. We are implementing a new data management system and in the first half year of 2024 we will perform a risk- and materiality assessment. This will help us define priorities and targets and prepare for reporting on sustainability topics.
Our expectations and approach towards our suppliers are defined in our new RNF & Mexx Supplier Code of Conduct.
Partnerships
We can only be strong and successful when we join forces. That’s why we work together with international partner organisations when it comes to ecological, social and ethical issues and standards.
amfori
Both RNF Group and Mexx International are member of amfori, a leading business association for sustainable trade and responsible business conduct. amfori supports member companies by helping them improve their environmental, social and governance performance of their value chains. As part of the amfori Business Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI) we check and promote social standards at the production facilities we source from. As a company, we commit to the same values and standards as described in the amfori BSCI Code of Conduct. We expect the same commitment from our suppliers and their employees, agents and subcontractors as defined in our Supplier Code of Conduct.
Better Cotton
Since mid-2023 Mexx is a Brand Member of Better Cotton. Better Cotton are committed to improving cotton farming practices globally and has programs in place to improve cotton production practices including decreasing water use and chemical use and strengthening farmers’ ability to improve their livelihoods. Being a Better Cotton member enables Mexx to support cotton farmers, farm workers and the communities directly by investing in responsible practices at field level and a higher standard of living. Better Cotton is sourced via a system of Mass Balance. This means that Better Cotton is not physically traceable to end products, see bettercotton.org/massbalance for details.
FastFeetGrinded
In 2023, Mexx made the decision to recycle all footwear waste collected in our locations in the Netherlands. We collected and sorted a large number of unsold shoes, including samples and half-pairs. We sent the shoes unfit for use to the footwear recycling company FastFeetGrinded instead of to the ordinary waste disposal where it would have been incinerated. FastFeetGrinded has developed plant that processes shoes into raw materials, these materials can be used again for new purposes. FastFeetGrinded is the only company in the world that can recycle shoes in this way.
Leather Working Group
As of mid-2023, FreSh BV is a member of the Leather Working Group (LWG) for the brands Fred de la Bretoniere and Shabbies Amsterdam. We joined the Leather Working Group to support more environmentally responsible leather manufacturing. We have set up an internal policy to increase the sourcing of leather coming from tanneries audited against the LWG Leather Manufacturer Audit Standard and with at least the minimal score ‘Bronze’.
In case of questions, please contact our CSR department at csr@rnfcompany.eu.