ICTI News
ICF Holds its Annual General Meeting and Governance Board meeting in Munich
The ICTI CARE Foundation held its Annual General Meeting and its semi-annual Governance Board meeting in Munich, Germany, on 4-5 June. At the Annual General Meeting, the eight original Directors were elected to a second, three-year term. These include Maria Livanos Cattaui, Amir Dossal, Peter Eio, Alan Hassenfeld, Gary Hutchens, Alan Munn, Jane Nelson and T.S. Wong. This maintains the total number of directors at 15. Mme. Cattaui and Mr. Hassenfeld were re-elected as Co-Chairs of the Board. Representatives from the Technical Advisory Board of the ICTI CARE Process also were present at the Governance Board meeting.
Highlighted at the meeting was the number of factories that have registered in and been accredited to the ICTI CARE Process-- 1,961 registered and 834 accredited -- the number of audits that have been carried out and the fact that the certified fatories represented about 75% of the world toy business. It was also noted that there are now approximately 11 major retailers that have signed, or are in the process of finalizing, MOUs that formally recognize the ICTI CARE Process-- the latest being Marks and Spencer.
The focus of the meeting was on experience-based improvements to the ICTI CARE Process, particularly in the areas of Wages and Working Hours policy and the Date Certain program. It was agreed that Continuous Improvement and Capacity Building Programs for factories would be started at the beginning of July and that a new system for ensuring compliance with the Date Certain program would be put into effect as soon as possible.
The Board also agreed to a broadening of its education and training programs and an expansion of its communications efforts to all stakeholders.
The next full meeting of the Governance Board will be in Hong Kong in January 2010.
VEDES AG First German Trade Association to Join ICTI CARE Process
VEDES AG, a leading trade organization for toys and games based in Nuremberg, Germany, signed the ICTI CARE Process (ICP) Date Certain pledge mid-April becoming the first German toy purchasing and retail association to do so. They already source approximately 85% of their private label product from ICP factories and are committed to sourcing only from ICP factories in the future. The organization has also pledged financial support over the next three years becoming a "Silver" category contributor.
The Date Certain pledge was signed in the presence of the ICP President and CEO, Mr. Christian Ewert, who acknowledged the importance of having this trade organization on board. Ewert stated, "We are very pleased that after only three constructive meetings with Dr. Thomas Märtz, CEO, VEDES AG, that this agreement could be reached. Financial support to the ICTI CARE Foundation is of special significance and we hope this will send a positive signal that others in the industry will follow."
Giochi Preziosi S.p.A. Signs Date Certain Pledge and Becomes an ICP Supporter
Giochi Preziosi S.p.A., is Italy’s largest toy company, and the fourth largest toy operator in the world, with subsidiaries in the key European markets and in the USA. On April 24th, it signed the ICTI CARE Process Pledge at its headquarters in Cogliate, Italy. The company’s CEO, Mr. Dario Berté, welcomed the Group's entrance in the ICTI CARE Process recognizing it as an important tool for the toy industry to ensure fair and safe working conditions in its factories. Both organizations cooperated closely over the two years prior to the signing of the Date Certain Pledge.
The Preziosi Group produces and distributes a vast range of toys both in Italy and abroad and its activity spans through many different industries like – for example – food, apparel, shoes and back to school products.
The ICTI CARE Foundation CEO, Mr. Christian Ewert, said that “We are delighted to welcome a prestigious company like Giochi Preziosi into the ICTI CARE Process. We not only appreciate their commitment to the toy industry’s ethical manufacturing program, but also their financial commitment to the ICTI CARE Process”. Giochi Preziosi S.p.A. has become a “Gold” category supporter to the ICTI CARE Foundation.”
Hong Kong Toy Council Holds ICTI CARE Process Training Workshops
The Hong Kong Toy Council organized three ICTI CARE Process training workshops during April and May to
familiarize its members with the new requirements of the ICTI CARE Process “Code of Business Practices” and to
launch their new guidance book formulated with ICTI CARE support. Over 150 industry members participated at the workshops.
The book is now available from the Hong Kong Toy Council (hktc@fhki.org.hk)
and the Federation of Hong Kong Industries (fhki@fhki.org.hk) at a cost of HK$150 (US$19.35). It is accompanied by a wall chart (poster) and a second booklet entitled, “ICTI CARE Process guideline.” We recommend this book as required reading for all who take their corporate compliance seriously and want to understand correct implementation of the ICTI CARE Process.
New Fee Structure for Audits
The ICTI CARE Foundation announced its new fee structure to take effect for all audits from June 1st 2009. The new structure will create a single man day rate for all members of the program thereby removing an anomaly that existed between old and new participants. The new rate of US$575 per man day will be charged by all eight of the ICTI CARE Process accredited service providers whose continuing support is greatly appreciated.
People on the Move
Jonas Astrup, Director Operations of ICFAL since August 2008,left on March 20 to accept a new position in South Africa. Recruitment for a replacement is currently underway. In the meantime, we are pleased to announce that Senior Advisor, Ian Anderson, has agreed to manage the day-to-day operations until the end of June.
Job Opening: Director of Asia Operations
ICTI CARE Foundation Asia Ltd. is seeking a new Director of Asia Operations. The position is located in Hong Kong. To learn more about the requirements of the job, click here. Interested applicants should submit, in word or PDF format only, a full CV and a cover letter that clearly addresses the qualifications criteria to secretariat@icti-care.org.
Seminar Tackles Social Compliance Challenges in China
On March 11, INFACT conducted the first of its seminars in New York City as part of its China Social Compliance Leadership Series. Taking part in the program were more than 65 social compliance executives from the toy, apparel, footwear, sporting goods, retail, and other industry, sectors.
The seminar covered the root causes of social compliance issues important to brands and retailers manufacturing in China such as excessive working hours, underpayment of legal wages and lack of transparency. Participants acknowledged that auditing alone is not enough and explored ideas for possible solutions such as transforming buying practices and alternative compliance models. An emerging trend towards developing capacity building, transparency, and continuous improvement programs (CIPs) was highlighted and viewed positively by many participants.
Christian Ewert, President and CEO of the ICTI CARE Foundation, one of the seminar sponsors, said, “The seminar series is providing valuable insights and potential solutions to some of the most pressing social compliance issues in China. We encourage everyone who is interested to accelerate progress in this area to participate”.
German Toy Association Makes Date Certain a Requirement for All Members
The German Toy Association (Deutscher Verband der Spielwaren Industrie - DVSI) decided at its last Annual General Meeting to make participation in the ICTI CARE Process Date Certain program mandatory for membership effective January 1, 2009.
The Date Certain Program is an integral part of the ICTI CARE Process. It aims to obtain commitments from toy brands and retailers that their buyers, at a specific, future date will only contract product manufactured by factories that are in the ICTI CARE Process. Date Certain companies have committed themselves to buy only from factories that are in the ICTI CARE Process and either have a Seal of Compliance or have completed the first audit and have agreed to a Corrective Action Plan to address any identified violation.
DVSI joins Denmark, Sweden and the US, as the fourth ICTI member that has passed this type of resolution. This commitment strengthens the ICTI CARE Process and unifies the German toy industry around ethical manufacturing.
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