Mango publishes global supplier list

Mango is taking steps towards greater transparency by becoming the first Spanish fashion brand to publish a supplier factory list. The details, available on the brand’s website, include a list of level 1 (tier 1) factories that have produced for the company during 2020.

Users can explore the name, addresses and number of employees for more than 800 factories in countries including China, Vietnam and Turkey. Mango said the initiative is part of a commitment with CCOO Industria, a trade union, to “guarantee international standards in its supply chain”. The list is also in full alignment with the Transparency Pledge standard, a project being spearheaded by a global coalition of nine trade union federations and human rights organisations to drive greater transparency in fashion and footwear supply chains.

In a statement, Mango noted that none of these factories is owned by the retailer and they don’t work exclusively for the brand. “Some of them might be used discontinuously in time depending on the characteristics of the product, so for this reason, the list will be updated at least twice a year,” the company said. Further data will be available over time, with more details to be released about tier 2 and tier 3 factories, FashionNetwork.com can reveal.

“We prioritise a relationship of trust with them, ensuring that they are aligned with our commitments, thus contributing to protecting workers’ human and strengthening the textile industry as a whole,” said the company regarding its supplier code of practice.

The data shows a strong preference for factories located in Asia, where production costs are lower. While in the Mediterranean region manufacturing is spread more evenly with 271 suppliers spread across 11 European and African countries, the area only accounts for a third of the total number of factories. Meanwhile, Asian factories represent 67% of the total and are mostly concentrated in China, India, Vietnam and Bangladesh. Europe accounts for 21.8% of factories with 196 units, while Africa accounts for 9.12% of the total with 75 suppliers in Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt.

Totalling 242 factories, China is where Mango has the highest number of suppliers, accounting for 29.4% of the total. Chinese factories are mostly used for shoes and accessories, while clothing and denim are produced in more factories in Turkey (152). In India, Mango works with 77 fashion, footwear and accessories manufacturers (accounting for 9.37%), and in Vietnam with 72 (8.76%). Morocco completes the ranking with 68 factories, representing 8.27% of the total.

By contrast, Eastern European countries are barely used by the brand. In Ukraine, Bulgaria, Romania and Albania, Mango just worked with six factories this year. Western European countries are represented by Italy, Spain and Portugal, with the latter two accounting for 2.38% of all global suppliers and totalling 36 manufacturers.

There are also differences within these countries. Compared to Portugal, Mango’s home market of Spain features just one fashion manufacturer: Lin Peihai, in Mataró. The remaining 16 Spanish suppliers specialise in footwear (with factories in Almansa, Menorca, Elda, Monovar, Elche, Caravaca de la Cruz, Catral and Zaragoza) and accessories (Barcelona, Zaragoza, Mataró, Petrer and Igualada).

Mango publishes global supplier list

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