How Yeah Buddy is made

The open ledger

We want you to know how our gear gets made: who makes it, what it’s made of, and how the people making it are treated. Some of it is done, and the rest is under way. This is where we write it down, in the open, as we go.

StartAll 18 done
  1. A
  2. B
  3. C
  4. D
  5. E

5 done, 13 in progress.

  • Done
  • In progress
  1. A

    Our rules for suppliers

    Indicators 1 to 2. 6% of the whole.
    1 done, 1 in progress
  2. B

    Where it’s made

    Indicators 3 to 4. 15% of the whole.
    2 in progress
  3. C

    How we work with factories

    Indicators 5 to 10. 33% of the whole.
    4 done, 2 in progress
  4. D

    The people who make it

    Indicators 11 to 14. 25% of the whole.
    4 in progress
  5. E

    Materials and the planet

    Indicators 15 to 18. 21% of the whole.
    4 in progress

Why we publish this

There are 18 things that matter most in how clothing is made, from where the fibre comes from to whether workers earn enough to live on. Only what a brand can show counts.

So here are all 18, with where we honestly stand on each, what we’re doing next, and the proof where we have it. Hold us to them.

A. 6% of the whole

Our rules for suppliers

Before we can ask anything of the factories that make our gear, we have to write down what we expect of them, and who at Yeah Buddy answers for it.

  • Done
  • In progress
  1. 01 In progress

    A code of conduct for suppliers

    A written set of rules every factory and fabric mill agrees to: no forced or child labour, safe workplaces, fair hours, the right to join a union.

    Where we stand

    We’ve adopted a supplier code of conduct: no forced or child labour, safe workplaces, fair hours and pay, the right to join a union, no recruitment fees, and nothing from Xinjiang. It goes with every order.

    Evidence
    Next

    Our factory signs it.

    Updated

    30 October 2026

  2. 02 Done

    Someone who answers for it

    A named person who is responsible for how our gear is made, and a yearly look at how we did.

    Where we stand

    Leon Hayes, our founder, is responsible for how our gear is made, and answers for it.

    Next

    Review this page with the factory every year, and publish what changed.

    Updated

    30 October 2026

B. 15% of the whole

Where it’s made

You can’t look after people you can’t find. This is where we list every place our gear is made, and what could go wrong at each one.

  • Done
  • In progress
  1. 03 In progress

    Tracing and the factory list

    Knowing every factory, every fabric mill and where the fibre comes from, and publishing that list with addresses and what each place makes.

    Where we stand

    Every piece of Yeah Buddy gear is made by one factory group: Aung Crown, in Shenzhen, China. The wool in our beanies is Australian.

    Evidence
    Next

    Name the mills that make our fabric and yarn, and where each fibre comes from, and publish them here.

    Updated

    30 October 2026

  2. 04 In progress

    Knowing the risks

    A written look at what could go wrong for workers and the environment in each country and at each stage, including the risk of Uyghur forced labour in anything sourced from China.

    Where we stand

    We’ve written down where things could go wrong at each stage, from the factory to the fabric mills to the fibre, and what we do about each: overtime at peak times, workers’ voice, recruitment fees, dyeing chemicals, subcontracting, and cotton from Xinjiang.

    Evidence

    None on file yet.

    Next

    Name the fabric mills so the assessment covers them too, and review it every year.

    Updated

    30 October 2026

C. 33% of the whole

How we work with factories

This matters most, because the way a brand buys shapes how a factory treats its workers. Rushed orders and late payments end up as overtime and low pay.

  • Done
  • In progress
  1. 05 Done

    Buying fairly

    Fair lead times, no last-minute changes, the cost of labour priced separately, and paying suppliers on time.

    Where we stand

    We pay our factory in full before production starts. Our purchasing policy commits us to fair lead times, no late changes (and if we make one, we pay for it), and never pushing a price below what fair wages cost.

    Next

    Ask our factory each year how our buying affects it, and publish the share of orders paid before production.

    Updated

    30 October 2026

  2. 06 In progress

    Working with our suppliers

    Sharing our code with each factory, checking they’ve understood it, and joining with other brands so a small buyer has a louder voice.

    Where we stand

    We’ve sent our supplier code of conduct to our factory to sign, and asked for its certificates, its fabric mills, and how its workers raise problems.

    Evidence

    None on file yet.

    Next

    Our factory signs the code, and we publish what it tells us here.

    Updated

    30 October 2026

  3. 07 In progress

    Forced labour

    Making sure nobody making our gear is forced to work, owes a recruitment debt, or works for a subcontractor we don’t know about.

    Where we stand

    Our code bans forced, bonded and trafficked labour, recruitment fees and withheld documents, and our factory’s independent audit covers forced labour.

    Evidence

    None on file yet.

    Next

    Ask the factory how it recruits, and whether any workers come through labour agents.

    Updated

    30 October 2026

  4. 08 Done

    Women at work

    Most garment workers are women. This is about discrimination, harassment and equal treatment.

    Where we stand

    Our policy on women in our supply chain bans discrimination, harassment and dismissal for pregnancy, and every complaint that reaches us is taken up at once. Our factory’s independent audit covers discrimination and harassment.

    Next

    Ask the factory for the share of women in its workforce and in supervisor roles.

    Updated

    30 October 2026

  5. 09 Done

    Checking up

    Independent social audits of the factories, and publishing what they found.

    Where we stand

    Our factory is independently audited for working conditions: an amfori BSCI social audit, carried out in January 2026 and valid until January 2028, covering pay, working hours, health and safety, child and forced labour, and workers’ rights.

    Evidence
    Next

    Work with the factory on what its audit found, and publish the next audit when it comes.

    Updated

    30 October 2026

  6. 10 Done

    Putting things right

    A plan for what happens when an audit finds a problem, including how we’d respond to child or forced labour without simply walking away.

    Where we stand

    When a problem is found, we agree a plan with the factory with dates and check it was fixed within 12 months. If child or forced labour were ever found, we would put the affected people first, not just cancel orders.

    Next

    Report every serious issue, and what was done, in a yearly update here.

    Updated

    30 October 2026

D. 25% of the whole

The people who make it

The people who sew our caps and knit our socks. Whether they earn enough to live on, and whether they can speak up.

  • Done
  • In progress
  1. 11 In progress

    A wage you can live on

    Whether factory wages cover a decent life where the workers live, measured against a local living wage benchmark.

    Where we stand

    We’ve committed to compare our factory’s wages with a published living wage benchmark for Shenzhen, publish the gap within 12 months, and close it step by step. Our factory’s independent audit covers fair pay.

    Evidence

    None on file yet.

    Next

    Do the comparison, and publish the gap.

    Updated

    30 October 2026

  2. 12 In progress

    Workers having a say

    Training and worker committees, so the people on the floor shape how the factory runs.

    Where we stand

    We’re asking our factory how its workers raise ideas and problems today, and we want to help strengthen it.

    Evidence

    None on file yet.

    Next

    Agree one concrete improvement with the factory, such as a committee the workers elect, and publish how it went.

    Updated

    30 October 2026

  3. 13 In progress

    Freedom to organise

    Workers can join a union and bargain together without being punished for it.

    Where we stand

    Our code protects workers’ freedom to join a union and bargain together, and our factory’s independent audit covers it.

    Evidence

    None on file yet.

    Next

    Keep it in our supplier code, and ask how it’s upheld day to day.

    Updated

    30 October 2026

  4. 14 In progress

    A safe way to complain

    A way for workers to raise a problem anonymously, and have it fixed.

    Where we stand

    We’re asking our factory what confidential complaint channel its workers have, in their own language.

    Evidence

    None on file yet.

    Next

    Give the factory a notice in Chinese with a direct, confidential way to reach us, and answer every complaint.

    Updated

    30 October 2026

E. 21% of the whole

Materials and the planet

What our gear is made of, what goes into making it, and what happens to it when you’re done with it.

  • Done
  • In progress
  1. 15 In progress

    Fibres and materials

    Choosing lower-impact fibres, knowing where they come from, and holding the certificates that prove it.

    Where we stand

    Our caps are made from recycled fabric, by a factory certified to the Global Recycled Standard (certificate valid until January 2027). Our beanies are 100% Australian Merino wool. Our socks and running range are synthetic, because for running nothing else wicks, dries and lasts like it, and every product page lists its fibres.

    Evidence
    Next

    Get a Transaction Certificate covering our own cap orders, so our caps themselves carry the certification, and look at recycled fibre for the next run of the running range.

    Updated

    30 October 2026

  2. 16 In progress

    Water and chemicals

    Keeping harmful chemicals out of the dyeing and finishing, and out of the rivers near the mills.

    Where we stand

    Our factory has held OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certification, which tests for harmful substances. That certificate has since expired.

    Evidence
    Next

    We’ve asked for its current certificate, and we’ll adopt a restricted substances list for every order.

    Updated

    30 October 2026

  3. 17 In progress

    Climate

    Measuring our emissions and committing to cut them on a published timeline.

    Where we stand

    We’ve made the SME Climate Commitment, and we’ve set ourselves a tougher goal: net zero by 2030, twenty years early. Our first step is measuring our full footprint, including making and shipping our gear, and we’ll publish it, and our plan to get there, right here. Through Greenspark, every hat we sell plants a tree and recovers plastic bottles: 3,909 trees and 36,309 bottles since January 2025.

    Evidence
    Next

    Measure our footprint with the SME Climate Hub’s calculator, publish it, and publish the plan to reach net zero by 2030.

    Updated

    30 October 2026

  4. 18 In progress

    Care, repair and end of life

    Helping gear last longer, fixing what breaks, and having somewhere for it to go when it’s worn out.

    Where we stand

    Our socks and running range carry care instructions. Faulty, damaged or wrong items are put right under our Performance Pledge. And we’re setting up a take-back: when you’re done with your Yeah Buddy running gear, we’ll send you a postpaid satchel, it’s reused or recycled in Australia, and you get 20% off your next order.

    Evidence
    Next

    Launch the take-back, and add care guidance to every cap and beanie page.

    Updated

    30 October 2026