Sustainable procurement and corporate social responsibility were top of the agenda as a delegation from corporate clothing specialist Incorporatewear and global retail optician Specsavers visited Chinese factories.

Charlotte Jay, Incorporatewear's business development manager, led the trip to Hangzhou, visiting several factories where Incorporatewear sources garments for Specsavers and other clients as part of its global supply base.

She said: "Quality and price remain fundamentally important but Incorporatewear shares the view of many of Britain's best companies that we must consider the wider consequences when making buying decisions.

"So in China, we looked at the welfare of the workforce, including standards of cleanliness, living conditions, hygiene and safety. The review followed the entire manufacturing process through to the dispatch area for finished goods, not only looking at quality processes but also reviewing adherence to our ethical and environmental policies

"Our policies are vitally important to ensure the welfare of overseas workforces in our supplier base and to help to create a sustainable future where our suppliers can continue to operate and provide us with the high standards we demand long into the future.

"Our efforts in this area also go a long way to protecting our clients and ourselves from potential issues surrounding production in other countries, which less careful companies have fallen foul of."

"Ultimately, we want Incorporatewear to have a positive impact on the environment, consumers, employees, communities, stakeholders and people everywhere."

Specsavers is one of Coleshill-based Incorporatewear's newest clients, and the Chinese production facilities will be used for the manufacture of tailored garments and men's shirts for the optician's iWear businesswear range that is rolling out now to its UK high street stores.