As well as policies covering basic health and safety legislation at work, we actively invest in staff training and education. Our network has a range of accessible work-life balance options that provide flexible working patterns for employees.
This flexible approach to work allows people to balance work with their other responsibilities and commitments.
We actively support a diverse workforce in relation to recruitment, training and management practices that encompasses race, gender, disability and age.
We prefer to source mass produced goods and services from within the EU wherever possible although many general commercial distributors of yoga goods act as agents for Original Equipment or Design Manufacturers (OEM's / ODM's ) from all parts of the world, including Asia and the Far East.
Labour costs are often lower in Asia and the Far East than in Europe, but labour law enforcement can also be much less stringent and less regulated. So, it would seem that it is commercially advantageous to devolve all responsibility for these kinds of issues to the manufacturer.
It is often very difficult to find out about specific working conditions relating to mass produced articles. It is difficult to witness them being made first hand, and in any case many articles cannot be traced back to any particular manufacturing plant.
Tours of manufacturing facilities in some countries might be of some assistance but gathering a good sense of the ethos behind the productivity is generally hard to achieve.
With the benefit of hindsight, we seem to have been largely consistent in our stance of avoiding some import opportunities, (even if evidence of sales had supported entering into them - from a commercial point of view).
The pursuit of market dominance, overiding concerns over risk and returns and similar, financial priorities doesn't really suit our own trading approach.
We hope that many more distributors will become as concerned as to the possible (ethical) shortcomings of the current supply chains as us and be prepared to look beyond the drive to become the most efficient at satisfying the demand of mass market consumerism.
But, for the time being, we have to make a decision based on what we know - which, sometimes can be next to nothing. Our overall position is quite pragmatic in that we will never knowingly purchase from manufacturers with oppresive employment regimes. Some import agents are happy investigate a little more on trade visits - and this is sometimes all we can hope for without wanting to be too disruptive.
Our own research resources are very limited and we do not want to boycott any particular countries. For some product lines, there is not always a realistic alternative, especially when a particular product has a unique benefit for Yoga practice.
In the meantime, we ask questions of distributors, manufacturers and their agents and also donate to appropriate Charities.
We don't set out to undersell - but, (equally) we cannot justify the same margin as for a bricks and mortar
shop, spa or similar outlet as we are a 100% online mail order business - and so our service offering is different to those.
If we were to level our prices with other outlets, the plain fact is that sales volumes will decrease, and probably in line with the increase in price.
As the current trend in the market we operate in is still towards price-conciousness, then we are unlikely to change our pricing structure for the forseeable future - either for mass appeal or premium quality products and services.
This is true also of the many marginal, (market-breaking) type product lines that may have special design features.
We believe that we give new, innovative products the best chance of staying *out there* by encouraging good take-up from outset, through repeat sales and a strong personal referral culture. We do this by keeping our prices lower than might at first be imagined possible. If this type of pricing structure is not applied the initial market take up can become so inhibited that the product fails to gain recognition and wide acceptance before something else new comes along and then the opportunity cost of the whole process increases.
Basic financial acumen might dictate that the best way of establishing a good wholesale market is to source cheap products from overseas suppliers, (eg. in the Far East and Asia) - where manufacturing costs are lower.
But we feel that this is something that we should not undertake lightly in view of our own ethical aspirations.
As a result of many years experience and adjustment of our business model to suit the online European Yoga community we belive that working with smaller manufacturing agents can often be the most satisfying and rewarding, (although not necessarily from a financial point of view).
We do not intend to rebrand, (or de-brand) products and services, but we need to create a distinction sometimes from the now, over-used marketing terms such as: Natural and Eco, (Read Yoga product terms and their meanings).
Brands labels often feature non-descriptive messages which may, or may not succesfully convey suggestive messages as to a particular quality or suitability.
We stock products from a number of Brand owners and generally, our policy, (for reasons of clarity and our culture of friendliness and openess towards our visitors and our suppliers) tend to discuss the appropriateness, (or otherwise) of the labeling of the products and services we resell on a case by case basis.
We assume a certain degree of licence with this aspect and chose to incorporate Brands if we feel that they offer an important distinction from other suppliers, especially if they point towards a particularly wholistic ethos - as it might well be very different from other business cultures.
We have operated a company policy of promoting Brands discreetly - or else no brands at all for many years and have enjoyed unexpected success with it.
Only the Directors of YOGA NETWORK have explicit authority and permission, ("EAP") to enter into and negotiate legally binding contracts on behalf of YOGA NETWORK for purchases of goods and services.
Individual private investors, syndicated business consultants and similar, (non-executive) interests have no influence over our purchasing policies.
A Director may delegate all or part of their EAP to another employee of YOGA NETWORK, provided written notice of approval has been given from at least two Directors.
EAP can only be approved in this way when the employee has undertaken appropriate training, as determined and organised by at least two Directors.
Although Directors can delegate their EAP, their overall responsibility cannot be delegated.
The Directors remain accountable to YOGA NETWORK for establishing appropriate financial controls within their delegation of their EAP and as such, at least one Director must authorise the actual payment.
For all purchases, (other than for normal inventory replenishment), the current EAP threshold is 500 GBP. This means that, for all purchases in excess of the EAP threshold, any Director, (or an employee with EAP) must also seek EAP from at least two Directors by way of presentation and approval of a suitable plan, including information on prices, markets, and various, alternative solutions.
The plan should include how the purchase meets or exceeds various ethical criteria, we call the Y-FACTOR™ - and whether or not, appropriate finance is likely to be made available to YOGA NETWORK in time to meet any agreement with the supplier as to any agreed deadlines.
This policy was lasted changed on June 02 2009. and is adhered to, in addition to the general public declarations made on becoming a Community Interest Company. We research many ethical topics and are likely to change this document from time to time as new information and scientific facts emerge. We also aim to uphold this policy through the trading activities of all the websites owned and operated by YOGA NETWORK C.I.C. through various online campaigns and Yoga projects.
Copyright ©
Some rights reserved. Yoga Network C.I.C.
Terms & Conditions
