Ethical Framework
Grounded in
protection and
Fair Trade
At MADE51, trust and transparency are central to everything we do. By combining UNHCR’s protection standards with rigorous Fair Trade principles, we ensure that every refugee-made product upholds the highest ethical standards—building confidence for brands and consumers alike.
© UNHCR/Zannou Kpiti Firmin
© UNHCR/Misper Apawu
Onboarding Local Social Enterprises
Our rigorous onboarding process ensures that every local social enterprise we partner with meets MADE51’s ethical and operational criteria. This includes:
- Proven experience in design, production management and marketing.
- Commitment to refugee livelihoods and environmental sustainability.
- Alignment with Fair Trade standards and UNHCR’s protection principles.
Monitoring for impact
-
Annual data collection
Each year, all of our local social enterprise partners must gather and submit detailed data on artisan earnings, production conditions and household income improvements. -
Field monitoring
In-country UNHCR colleagues conduct regular reviews, ensuring protection principles are upheld across all operations. -
Impact reporting
Data is analysed and published annually, providing transparency and accountability.
We implement robust, ongoing monitoring to ensure compliance, and measure impact. Here’s how:
© UNHCR/Ala Kheir
© UNHCR/Shew Wutt Hmon
Fair payment
We are dedicated to ensuring artisans earn a fair wage in alignment with Fair Trade standards. In partnership with WageIndicator, we use a customized system to calculate fair wages for each product.
Safeguarding
To uphold ethical practices, we have implemented:
- A feedback and complaint mechanism that allows concerns or misconduct to be reported anonymously, including through UNHCR.
- A comprehensive risk matrix to assess and mitigate potential risks within the MADE51 value chain.
Fair Trade and Protection Standards
All MADE51 products adhere to Fair Trade principles and UNHCR’s protection standards. This ensures:
- Fair wages and safe working conditions
- Environmental sustainability and gender equality
- Zero tolerance for exploitation or harm
Further Reading
To learn more about MADE51s compliance process, more
resources are available: