How do I attain the Happy Worker guarantee? 

Workers are paid at least the national minimum wage and the brand is transparent in disclosing all their direct suppliers.The worker's labour rights are respected, no child labour or human trafficking is involved in the production of the collection, and the manufacturer is compliant with all local health and safety regulations.

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What evidence do I need to submit?

 The evidence required depends on two things: where you manufacture and how many workers are at the facility. Lower risk situations need less evidence, higher risk situations need more.

• Small facility (50 or fewer workers) in a low-risk country → a signed manufacturer declaration is sufficient
• Any facility with more than 50 workers, or any facility in a higher-risk country → you'll need a third-party audit or to complete our Due Diligence Questionnaire (DDQ)
• Sole makers (just you, no employees) → a signed declaration confirming this is all that's needed

If you're not sure whether your manufacturing location is considered higher risk, see our Countries at risk of Modern Slavery guide.

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The three routes to approval

You only need one of the following. Which one is realistic for you depends on your facility size and manufacturing location, use the guide below to work out where you sit.

Not sure whether your manufacturing location counts as low-risk or high-risk? Check our full list of countries at risk of Modern Slavery before working out which evidence route applies to you.

1. Third-party audit
A social audit from SMETA, BSCI, SA8000, WRAP, Fair Trade, or RJC, conducted within the last 2 years. This is the strongest evidence and works for every scenario, regardless of facility size or country risk. If your audit shows only minor non-compliances (for example, working hours slightly over the ETI base code, or missing paperwork), this won't fail you, you'll still be approved, just with a note asking you to action the findings. Audits with critical violations (forced labour, dangerous working conditions, child labour) can't be approved through this route and will be escalated for review instead.

2. Due Diligence Questionnaire (DDQ)
If you don't have a formal audit, a satisfactory DDQ is always sufficient for approval, regardless of your country or facility size, though larger or higher-risk facilities will be asked for more detail within it. A satisfactory DDQ typically means either:

• you've worked with your manufacturer for a year or more and have visited the facility in person, or
• you have documented worker welfare checks and a supplier-facing code of conduct in place

See How to prepare for your Due Diligence Questionnaire for what we'll ask.

3. Signed manufacturer declaration
The lightest-touch route, but only accepted in one specific case: your manufacturer has 50 or fewer workers and is based in a low-risk country. If your facility is larger than that, or based in a higher-risk country, a declaration alone won't be enough and you'll need a DDQ or audit instead. Download the declaration form here.

If you're a sole maker working alone with no employees, a signed declaration confirming this is automatically sufficient, no audit or DDQ needed.

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Overview

The form is split into three sections:

1. Brand Details
2. Manufacturing Details - supplying information for your in-house or outsourced manufacturers. Outsourced manufacturers will need to provide basic details on each facility.
3. Outsourced production - where you'll supply social responsibility certificates/audits, complete our DDQ, or submit a declaration depending on your risk profile above.

Please note - All information and documents you submit, including manufacturer names and locations, are kept strictly confidential and used only for vetting purposes. Nothing is shared publicly or with other brands.

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Brand Details

When you open the form the first page of questions will look like the below.

1. Brand Name
   Please ensure the brand name entered on the form is an exact match of the brand name on your Wolf & Badger profile page so we can correctly identify and link the submission.
2. Brand email
   Please provide an email of the most appropriate person we can contact about your submission, for example if we require extra information.
3. Country(s) of manufacture
   Enter all the countries where your tier 1 manufacturers are based. 
   Tier 1 manufacturer (also called manufacturing supplier or direct supplier) is whoever produces your final product, the factory or workshop that actually makes the finished item.
4. How are your products made?
   This question sends you to the correct evidence submission questions, tailored to your brand size and scale.

Manufacturing Details

In-house

If you own your production facility, provide:

1. The number of workers in your facility.
2. A description of your manufacturing process and where you source your materials from, including an overview of your supply chain (for example if products are part-manufactured elsewhere before reaching your studio), the roles of the people making your products, and your material sources so we can cross-check against certificates.
3. Code of conduct/modern slavery statement/signed declaration. If your business has its own, upload it. If not, sign a copy of our declaration form. We ask for this to ensure you're aware of the ETI base code.

Include both the name and address of your manufacturing facility so that we can ensure all your products have the correct country of origin labelled and we can cross-check against any other certificates you send in your evidence submission.

Here's what you need to complete on the form:

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Outsourced Production

If all or part of your production is outsourced you will need to provide information about who your manufactures are and what due diligence you have conducted to ensure that the workers in the facility are treated fairly and in line with the ETI base code. 

Manufacturer Details

If your production is outsourced, provide details for all facilities:

• Manufacturer name
• Manufacturer website (if applicable)
• Number of workers in the entire facility
• What part of the product they make
• Address
• Certifications

Then, based on your risk profile (see routes to approval above), you'll either upload a matching audit, complete the DDQ, or submit a signed declaration.

This data is used to verify the following:

1. To check any certificates you send are matched to the correct supplier. This is especially important if you have multiple manufacturers.
2. To verify that all products are correctly labelled with the right country of origin on our website.
3. To check that all your products have Happy Worker evidence provided.
4. To ensure you select the correct pathway for your evidence submission.
5. It allows us to check the company if there is any evidence we are unsure of in your submission.

The certificates listed on the form are those with a social responsibility assessment. If your facility has a certificate for an audit with a social responsibility certificate which isn’t listed please contact the team and we can confirm if this is accepted.

Here's what you need to complete on the form:

A guide on what evidence you should upload for outsourced manufacturing:

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How we assess your evidence

Once you submit your form, it's reviewed against the criteria above.
Most submissions are assessed within two weeks. You'll then receive one of two outcomes by email:

• Approved. Your guarantee is added to your profile and no further action is needed.
• Needs more info. We'll tell you exactly what's missing and which section of your form to update. You'll have 14 days to resubmit, and once you do, it goes back for review automatically, no need to contact us to trigger this.

What happens next

If approved, Happy Worker appears on your brand profile straight away. We may ask you to go through this process again in future, both to give you the chance to strengthen your evidence over time, and to make sure the claims on your profile stay accurate and current.

If your circumstances change in the meantime, for example you switch manufacturers or gain a new certification, you can update your evidence at any point rather than waiting for the review.

If you have any questions about the Happy Worker guarantee, you can ask questions directly within the vetting form or click CONTACT US on your dashboard to reach out to the Brand Support team.