• Koda in the News
The hard lesson S'pore firm behind furniture brand Commune learnt to become eco leader
By
PUBLISHED NOV 7, 2023, 4:00 AM SGT
On 7 Nov 2023, Koda was featured in a story by the widely-read English newspaper THE
STRAITS
TIMES in Singapore. In the story, Koda’s executive director Ernie Koh shared Kodas'
journey so
far towards sustainability.
“My thinking was, if we don’t get more serious about sustainability when we have all these help
available, then when are we going to do it?” says Mr Koh, who is part of the second generation
leading the 51-year-old business. “We are a mature company with stable operations. We have the
capabilities to invest in sustainability, corporate social responsibility, and more.”
• Products
Not a Single Tree Cut
Lush Collection
In October 2022, Koda launched its first ever 100% sustainable collection - LUSH COLLECTION and
made
its debut at Singapore-Vietnam
Biz Roundtable and Sustainability Showcase in Ho Chi Minh City,
Vietnam, in conjunction with Her Excellency Halimah Yacob, then President of the Republic of
Singapore’s
State Visit to Vietnam.
Featuring wood alternatives made from bamboo, bio foam, renewable plant
stems, yarn from upcycled marine plastics, water-based finishes and more, LUSH's curated
selection
of designs ensures that you live in tandem with the earth's ecosystem while experiencing the
modern
comfort of home.
Our Sustainability Roadmap
In FY2022, under the support of Enterprise Singapore, Koda formulated its Sustainability Roadmap over the next 3-5 years through working with McKinsey. We have identified 4 Sustainable Development Goals ("SDGs") out of 17 SDGs as our priorities, namely, SDG 8, 12, 13, and 15.
Green Value Chain
Our policy is to reduce our environmental impact throughout the value chain, including our
customers and suppliers.
It is pivotal that our suppliers and partners share our values in areas such as the environment,
human rights, labour practices, and corporate ethics in order to effectively and meaningfully
implement our sustainability agenda. Such value alignment is critical in developing mutually
beneficial relationships with suppliers and channel partners to boost both their and our
competitiveness.
We select, engage and review our suppliers on a regular basis through a set of
Code of Conduct,
Self-assessment and Supplier Performance Review.
Sustainability Governance
Koda’s sustainability efforts are under the watch of the Corporate Sustainability Committee ("CSC"), which is led by our Executive Director and comprises other executive directors and the designated senior executives, provides support to the Board for corporate sustainability. CSC gives direction and endorsement for corporate sustainability issues, including community investment and environmental initiatives. Our Corporate Sustainability Champion (the “Champion”), who is supported by CSC, actively creates awareness within the business through education and training. Our Champion engages businesses and functions jointly in identifying and managing Environmental, Social, and Governance ("ESG") aspects, and engaging sustainability stakeholders through the Corporate Sustainability Work Group ("CSWG"). Businesses and functions offer continuous assurance of data accuracy for sustainability reporting. In addition to the CSC, we plan to setup a cross-functional Sustainability Squad to oversee and manage Koda's sustainability agenda across the organization.
Certificates
FSC
The FSC system allows businesses and consumers to identify, purchase and use wood, paper and
other forest products made with materials from well-managed forests and/or recycled sources.
For products to be FSC certified, both the factory of production and wood have to be FSC
certified.
Koda Saigon is FSC certified and Koda Malaysia will be moving towards the same
direction.
Greenguard
The extensive testing starts with the package being visually inspected and stored in a
controlled environment immediately following sample check-in. Just prior to loading, the product
was unpackaged and prepared for the required loading to expose the finished surfaces only. The
sample was placed inside the environmental chamber, and tested according to the specified
protocol.
The criteria address total volatile organic compounds (TVOC), formaldehyde, total aldehydes, all
individual chemicals with currently published Threshold Limit Values (TLVs) or Chronic Reference
Exposure Levels (CRELs).
FLEGT
The regulation applies to timber and a wide range of timber products, including pulp and paper. It sets 3 main requirements for operators in Europe that place timber or timber products on the EU market for the first time. These requirements are prohibiting illegally harvested timber, exercising due diligence, and keeping records.
BSCI
The amfori Business Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI) is based on the labor standards of the
International Labour Organization (ILO)
and other important international regulations like the UN Charta for Human Rights, as well as on
national regulations. This initiative aims at continuously improving the social performance of
suppliers, ultimately enhancing working conditions in factories worldwide.
Koda Saigon factory passed BSCI audits.
Our Sustainability Report
Since FY2022, Koda begins to publish our Sustainability Report. The sustainability report aims to give a clear, fair picture of Koda Ltd (“Koda” or the "Company") and its subsidiaries (the "Group"), to represent the interests of our prime stakeholders, and to pragmatically meet those interests. This report intends to contain in-depth and understandable information about the Company's sustainability strategy, critical concerns, and data following acknowledged worldwide standards. This sustainability report is produced to outline our dedication to sustainability and transparency.
Employment Health & Care
Her Project
With support by Williams Sonoma, the BSR|Her Project was implemented in Koda Saigon by Life Center through Business For Social Responsibility since August 2018 to May 2020. The program benefits employees of Koda Saigon by improving their general knowledge on health & nutrition, personal hygiene, menstrual hygiene, family planning, maternal health, HIV/AIDs prevention & treatment, and breast cancer & cervical cancer. The program improved employee satisfaction with Koda and helped reduce the number of absenteeism at factory.
Vision Spring
As part of our employee welfare initiative, we organized the Vision Spring Programme, a free spectacle distribution drive at the Vietnam factory for all workers. As part of the programme, almost 250 spectacles were provided to the workers. The program benefited male and female workers, especially first-time spectacle wearers.
RISE
BSR's HERproject® is now RISE: Reimagining Industry to Support Equality, an initiative to
support collaborative industry action at scale to advance gender equality in global garment,
footwear and home textiles supply chains.
RISE brings together the four largest women empowerment programs in the apparel industry—from
BSR’s HERproject, Gap Inc. P.A.C.E, CARE International, and Better Work—to build from proven
approaches, scale impact and improve efficiency.
Koda Saigon continues to implement RISE Program.
2006
