Supply Chain Solutions
Nest is a nonprofit standard-setting body and expert consultancy that supports brands in effectively navigating the complexities of production within their informal, homeworker, and artisan supply chains with confidence and credibility. Through social compliance certification, handcrafted product verification, and bespoke supply chain consulting, Nest delivers trusted solutions for responsible sourcing beyond traditional factory models.
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Social Compliance Verification and Certification
Deep expertise in mapping informal supply chains, engaging home-based and small workshop producers through culturally sensitive approaches, and implementing robust production and social compliance certification programs adapted to nontraditional production settings.
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Handcrafted Product Verification
Third-party assurance on claims and consumer-facing mark to bring legitimacy and increased value to handcrafted products via certified suppliers.
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Custom Supply Chain Consultation
Our bespoke responsible sourcing consultation services enable brands to responsibly manage informal production compliance, strengthen transparency, and meet evolving ethical and regulatory demands.
Our Programs + Services
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The only comprehensive global Standard for social production compliance and Certification in informal production risk management.
Nest’s Ethical Handcraft Program has revolutionized the industry by making home-based supply chain work a safe and viable option for unseen workers worldwide. In 2017, leveraging International Labor Organization (ILO) principles, Nest developed the Nest Standards, the first-ever set of universally applicable standards and verification methodology for work that takes places outside of regulated factories in informal or cottage industries. Built uniquely for the last mile of production, Nest’s one-of-a-kind Ethical Handcraft social compliance program delivers unmatched oversight, cross-category and geography applicability, and Tier 4+ transparency within the deepest levels of production. Nest pairs this with human-centered, boutique consulting to support teams through even the most complex informal supply chain challenges.
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Nest’s Digital Curriculum for Ethical Handcraft transforms the proven training and remediation methodology of our pioneering Ethical Handcraft program into a scalable, technology-enabled e-learning solution designed for today’s global supply chains.
Originally delivered through onsite implementation, this industry-leading social compliance framework is now available in a flexible, on-demand digital format, expanding access to expert guidance for small and medium-sized vendors, artisan enterprises, and decentralized production networks. The curriculum provides an accessible pathway to strengthen ethical sourcing, compliance with labor standards, and responsible supply chain management.
Built specifically for complex supply chains, including artisan production, home-based work, and informal manufacturing, the Digital Curriculum goes beyond theory. It delivers step-by-step, practical guidance to help vendors design, implement, and continuously improve social compliance systems within their own operations and extended supply chains. Vendors can engage at their own pace and set tailored goals, whether preparing for a social compliance assessment, strengthening ethical production practices, meeting brand Code of Conduct requirements, improving supply chain transparency, or building foundational knowledge of international labor and human rights standards.
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Nest’s Handcraft validation tools offer a range of retail stakeholders — including merchandisers, buyers, brand executives, and consumers — a full understanding of what constitutes a handcrafted product as well as a robust toolkit to distinguish between handcrafted and machine-made or industrially-made products. Nest Verified Handcrafted™ products offer insight into the production techniques or processes used in an item’s creation and enable brands to showcase their commitment to craftsmanship and transparency.
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Nest provides bespoke responsible sourcing consulting services to support brands in meeting human rights and social due diligence requirements within informal, subcontracted, and homeworker supply chains that align with OECD Due Diligence Guidance, UNGPs, EU CSDDD, national modern slavery frameworks and other regulatory requirements. Our services include the review and development of policies specific to informal production—designed to complement existing factory-focused policies—and guidance on establishing internal SOPs that embed homeworker requirements into sourcing, compliance, and sustainability systems. Nest also delivers targeted internal trainings to strengthen cross-functional understanding of homeworker risks, responsibilities, and remediation pathways, and conducts investigations, community needs assessments, exploratory assessments, and other tailored activities to support risk identification, mitigation, monitoring, and continuous improvement across informal supply chains to meet brands’ evolving needs.
Nicole Ruiz, VP of Sustainability at Williams-Sonoma Inc.
“Protecting vulnerable workers, particularly in deeper and informal tiers of supply chains, calls for thoughtful approaches that reflect how work is actually performed. Support from organizations like Nest can help companies strengthen respect for human rights and worker protections in ways that are responsible and aligned with complex supply chain realities.”
Open Access Resources
Informal supply chains are among the most overlooked and underprotected tiers of global sourcing. Nest believes every brand has a responsibility to bring these workers into the fold of their responsible sourcing and supply chain due diligence practices, no matter how small the first step. To make that easier, Nest offers a suite of free, open-access resources designed to help brands begin or deepen their journey toward informal supply chain transparency, homeworker due diligence, and ethical sourcing at every level. Whether you are just beginning to map your extended supply chain or looking to strengthen existing responsible sourcing frameworks, these tools are built to meet you where you are.
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Nest Ethical Compliance Standards for Homes and Small Workshops
Nest Code of Conduct
Nest Homeworker Guidance Toolkit
Best Practices for Incorporating Compliance in Subcontracted Supply Chains
Nest Craft Risk Matrix
Preliminary Supply Chain Mapping Tool
Time Motion Study Calculator
Nest Verified Handcrafted - Handcraft Technique Guide
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