The production facilities owned by the German outdoor brand Tatonka in Ho Chi Minh City and in Binh Dinh Province in Vietnam, which are operated by Mountech Co. Ltd., meet all the requirements of the current SA8000:2014 social standard, as confirmed by the current audit conducted by TÜV Rheinland on July 23. With very few exceptions, all Tatonka products are manufactured in the two Mountech plants. The certificate is valid for three years.
In order to ensure absolute transparency, the public can experience the manufacture of the products and form their own opinion about working conditions as part of the Open Factory Program, started by Tatonka in 2011. In the same year, the company began having its production facilities in Vietnam certified by the globally recognized SA8000 standard, which was established in 1987 by the New York-based non-profit organization SAI (Social Accontability International) and enables companies to provide proof of social responsibility. The standard prohibits child and forced labor, discrimination of any kind and the application of disciplinary measures. It also obliges companies to adhere to strict occupational health and safety guidelines, prescribes maximum working hours and minimum remuneration, and guarantees the holding of works meetings and collective bargaining. It also requires the implementation of a management system. The latest version, SA8000:2014, also includes the Social Fingerprint Program providing companies with even more targeted support in the independent evaluation and improvement of their management system. The independent evaluation is carried out according to a very precisely defined pattern.
