Along with our associates, SMETA 4-Pillar status, BSCI overall A rating and ISO 9001:2015 certification all come as standard. Covering environmental, health & safety, social and ethical behaviour and the proactive working towards sustainability, our socks are created by our dedicated team, working with state-of-the-art knitting technology, located in Portugal and in the UK. We lead by example and our industry accreditations are your guarantee of high quality, high standards of service, integrity and best practice conformity.

Awarded by third-party auditors, following a thorough assessment of our business practices, accreditations are an important tool for authenticating sustainability claims and represent a recognised indicator of good practice. Learn more below about our accreditations and compliance certifications, responsible raw material choices and the member-based bodies we belong to - so you know that by working with us, you’re working with the right people who align with your values.

We are passionate about our products and take pride in ensuring our practices and responsibilities, as a trusted partner, go beyond providing customers with socks that offer excellent quality, high design and great value. Our culture embraces social responsibility, and we understand that the choices we make have a genuine impact on the people and the environment around us. 

Sedex

Sedex is an internationally recognised organisation which aims to improve ethical business practices, allowing information to be shared and managed in four key areas:

• Labour Standards

• Health & Safety

• The Environment

• Business Ethics

Our customers benefit as Sedex collects and analyses information regarding the ethical and responsible business practices in our supply chain - meaning you can keep track of supplier performance. Whilst for Exceptio (Sedex Company Ref. ZC1067665) it provides an efficient and cost-effective way to share information with buyers, cutting down on the unnecessary paperwork - which saves time and money.

By safely managing this confidential data and sharing it with members, Sedex helps to reduce time consuming audits, which allows both buyers and suppliers more time to concentrate on making real improvements.

As Sedex members we comply with its social and ethical trading standards. These standards are audited on an annual basis via SMETA audit (Sedex Members Ethical Trade Audit) and the Ethical Trading Initiative’s (ETI) code. Conducted by independent affiliate auditors, the SMETA 2-Pillar audit is governed by the ETI Base Code and local laws and assesses Labour Standards and Health & Safety. The more extensive SMETA 4-Pillar audit adds two additional requirements, Business Ethics and Environmental management.

Exceptio adhere to the highest levels of compliance regarding working conditions, health and safety, minimum age and working hours and our factories SMETA 4-Pillar status confirms that the audit was passed at the highest level.

Business Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI)

Exceptio uses the amfori BSCI system to continuously improve the social performance and working standards in our supply chain.

Based on International Labour Organisation (ILO) labour standards and international regulations such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the system consists of 13 audit performance areas. Externally audited against these areas to verify social compliance, building trust and confirmation of directed, and dedicated, responsible and ethical business practice, the Exceptio group are proud to hold an overall A rated BSCI accreditation.

Quality Management System standard ISO9001:2015

The International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) ISO 9001 is a globally recognised standard for quality management. It helps organisations to improve their performance, meet customer expectations and demonstrate their commitment to quality. Its requirements define how to establish, implement, maintain, and continually improve a quality management system. Via the independent IQNet Certified Management System Exceptio has in place ISO 9001:2015 certified management practices in all facilities confirming effective processes in efficiency, waste reduction and confidence in our trained staff to deliver flawless products and service time after time - all of which help us to create a trusted, sustainable and reliable supply chain. IQNet train, audit and verify our ISO 9001:2015 standards and certification is valid for three years.

ISO 9001 provides stakeholder assurance that all aspects of our environmental, health and safety, social and ethical behaviour is measured, and ensures processes conform to all ethical, sustainable and quality standards. We are supported in our pursuit of continual improvement of our organisation’s systems and our approach to environmental concerns by measuring, maintaining and improving these systems on an ongoing basis.

OEKO-TEX Standard 100

OEKO-TEX Standard 100 is an independent testing and certification system for textiles. The standard endorses adherence to the specifications of the OEKO-TEX Association, aimed at limiting detrimental chemicals, and ensuring that, where present, those substances remain below established limits. STANDARD 100 sets the benchmark for textile safety, from yarn to finished product and every item bearing the STANDARD 100 label is certified as having passed safety tests for the presence of harmful substances, enabling everyone to make responsible decisions and protect natural resources. OEKO-TEX confidence in textiles standard 100 (certified against harmful substances to protect us and our planet) confirms that all yarns conform under certificate number 1440CIT.

Global Recycled Standard (GRS)

Owned and managed by Textile Exchange, this international standard sets and verifies recycled content, social and environmental production practices and chemical restrictions.

GRS, via a chain of custody supported by certificates, tracks input materials and provides assurance that materials in a final product really are recycled. The minimum recycled content stipulation is 50%, and additional processing requirements (social, environmental, and chemical) must also be met.

Our certified GRS Hydrocycled® yarns were developed to accelerate the innovation of sustainable materials, to reduce the amount of materials going to landfill with packaging that rejects unnecessary single use plastics. 

Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC)

The FSC is dedicated to promoting responsible management of the world’s forests.

Their certification system, which covers more than 200 million hectares of forest, confirms that a forest is being managed in a way that preserves biological diversity and benefits the lives of local people and workers.

All of our board-based packaging uses FSC-certified materials that support responsible forestry and is recyclable.

Compostable Bags

Our compostable per pair bags conform to EN13432 and AS 4736/5810 certification and breakdown organically (within approximately 2 months on a compost heap) - protecting not only your socks but the planet too

At Exceptio we are dedicated to driving improvements in responsible, sustainable and ethical business practices and we require all our partners to operate with the same high principles. This is far from lip service as these goals form the foundation of our business values. We take full accountability of our product conformity, economic, social and operational codes of conduct and uphold the highest level of integrity and professionalism - ensuring you can trust the products that you buy.