FOUNDING STORY
EAA was founded based on the core belief that all manufacturing can and should be done ethically. In 2015, while working together in West Africa, they realized if ever there was a place to prove this it was here.

Against the backdrop of rising prices in Asia and industry pressure to find its next manufacturing hub, they saw the fundamental advantages West Africa could offer: quick shipping times to the US/EU, duty advantages, low cost of living, and labor availability.

The business opportunity was clearly there, but what inspired them to start EAA was the opportunity to do things differently: To get it right from the start, building a model of manufacturing that prioritizes both profit and people.

For them, this starts with partnership. They met factory owners in Ghana and Benin who showed deep commitment to their workers and communities, but who struggled to expand due to lack of volume orders. They built their business model around enabling them to achieve their visions of worthwhile job creation at scale.

They know that cost competitive and ethical production are not mutually exclusive. They work with their partner factories every day to continuously improve: to increase efficiency, go beyond compliance, and meaningfully impact workers’ lives.

In addition to improving the quality of existing jobs, they measure ourselves on their ability to create new ones. They believe the creation of stable employment, particularly for women, is an incredibly powerful driver of sustainable change.

By 2027, they aim to create 5,000 high quality manufacturing jobs in West Africa.

OPERATING MODEL
They focus on driving operational excellence at the factory level, reducing waste and steadily increasing efficiency. The resulting savings are invested in workers - through benefits, empowerment programs, and steady progress towards living wages.

HOW WE WORK
They provide a transparent service from sampling and product development through to final export.

SOURCING & PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
- To ensure they are the right choice for their clients they complete an extensive Risk Assessment before accepting an order.
- Their in country technicians develop patterns and samples working through the approval process to ensure client and factory satisfaction.
- Through their global network of trusted suppliers they source and develop fabrics, trims, and packaging to meet their clients’ specifications.
- They work with certified testing labs and fabric inspectors to ensure material performance.

TRANSPARENT COSTING
Transparency is easy when you have nothing to hide! At EAA they are radically transparent. They work with their clients based on detailed open costings, and share complete information about their factories and suppliers. If there are issues along the way they are proactive in sharing these in order to work together to find solutions.

PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT
- They only place their clients’ orders in EAA-approved partner factories that have passed assessments by their technical and compliance teams.
- Their on-the-ground, expert technicians support their partner factories at every stage of production to ensure agreed quality standards are met.
- They are always available for their clients and maintain regular communication throughout the order to stay abreast of deadlines.​

INDEPENDENT QUALITY CHECK
- Their goal is always ‘right first time’ quality: they work with the factories to engineer products and plan production to achieve this.
- Their team conducts in-line and end-of-line checks through each production run.
- Finally their technicians complete an independent AQL against standards agreed by their clients. Orders do not ship until this is approved.
- They typically work on an FOB basis, but support their clients to streamline their exit logistics and secure duty-free benefits.

CAPACITY BUILDING
- They provide targeted training to their partner factories to enable them to realise their visions for growing profitable and sustainable businesses that create worthwhile jobs.
- Their on the ground technical experts steadily improve factories’ efficiency and operational systems with a focus on local skill transfer.
- They work to international compliance standards, but rather than focus on tick-box audits, they guide their factories to invest in continuous improvement - leading to increased orders, job creation, and workforce empowerment.

PURPOSE BEHIND THE PRODUCT
- It is clear to see that customers are becoming increasingly engaged in the origins of the products they buy. *Over 60% of consumers want to know if their clothing was responsibly produced. *Oekotex “The Key to Confidence” study of 11,200 global consumers
- They share the positive stories behind the product -- enabling their clients to deepen their engagement with their customers.
- Their clients are achieving positive impact every day though working with us and they want to help them celebrate their decision to make a difference.