The Nest Standards get an update following committee review

Since officially launching the Nest Standards for Homes & Small Workshops at the United Nations in December 2017, six artisan businesses have become Nest Certified, opening up the opportunity for brands like West Elm, Pottery Barn, and Pottery Barn Kids to begin utilizing the Nest Seal of Ethical Handcraft in-market where it currently appears on baskets handwoven in the Philippines, ceramics handcrafted in Peru, and rugs handwoven in India.

As more artisan businesses move though Nest’s Ethical Handcraft Program, which begins with an onsite training process prior to an assessment taking place, Nest is continually reviewing its process to make improvements, and calling on supply chain experts to weigh in on the Standards.

After launching the Nest Standards, Nest opened up the entire list of detailed compliance indicators to the public for review and comment, and further established our official Standards Committee, which includes senior representation from Williams-Sonoma Inc., Target, Ulula, SAI (Sustainable Accountability International), At-Stake Advisors, and artisan businesses Industree and Durus. Over the course of several months, the committee reviewed all publicly submitted feedback on the Standards and met collectively to share their  recommendations.

The result is an updated edition of the Standards that more clearly defines expectations and requirements of vendors and subcontractors alike. The revised Standards are intended to both support industry efforts to address home and small workshop-based production as well as to streamline Nest’s process for training handworkers.

So what can you expect to see in the recently updated Standards? While you won’t see any large, sweeping changes, some important updates have included the addition of stipulations surrounding the fact that time motion studies and production records should be used for verifying the estimated work hours of piece rate workers. New language has been added to establish that the scope of an internal inspection should be scaled to the scope of the supply chain, and a document outlining a full map of the supply chain, accounting for all handworkers and not just subcontractors, must be kept by vendor leaders – as well as updated on a regular basis. It has additionally been further clarified that handworkers must be able to report any complaints or grievances without the fear of retaliation. 

To see the fully revised Standards and a summary of all recent revisions, please visit our website’s Ethical Handcraft page. We invite you to download and review the Standards in full, as well as to share your own feedback through our reporting portal. The Nest Standards for Homes & Small Workshops will be updated every two years.