Labour standards
Fair pay, lawful working hours, and freely chosen employment, independently audited against the SMETA labour standards pillar.
SEDEX SMETA AUDITED · ISO 14001 · ISO 45001
Corporate Social Responsibility
Our measure of success is not only profit. Shield Works is independently audited on labour, safety, environment and ethics, and, with the C2W Group, has backed a Zhuhai children's charity since 2011.
How This Is Verified
Audited, not asserted.
Shield Works is independently audited under the SEDEX SMETA 4-Pillar framework, the global standard for ethical trade. The audit covers labour standards, health and safety, environmental management, and business ethics.
Combined with ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 certified management systems, that means our CSR claims are checked by external auditors rather than written by our marketing team.
Beyond the audit, the wider C2W Group has backed a Zhuhai children's charity since 2011 and signed the Fair Pay Charter in 2024.
SEDEX SMETA 4-Pillar Audit
Four pillars, independently audited.
Health & safety
Safe working conditions verified both by the SMETA audit and our ISO 45001 certified occupational health and safety management system.
Environmental management
Responsible resource and waste management under our ISO 14001 certified environmental management system, audited across the facility.
Business ethics
Transparent, ethical business conduct, from supplier contracting to client reporting, audited under the SMETA business ethics pillar.
Continuous Endeavours in Charity
A commitment to our local community.
Shield Works, a C2W Group company, supports the local community through the Come Together Community (CTC), a non-profit founded in Zhuhai, South China, in 2011. It began as a late expat's family fundraiser and grew into a working charity.
Our group CFO, Mark Clayton, serves as Chairman and Founding Council Member of CTC.
We sponsor CTC's annual charity music festival, which directs 100% of proceeds to local children in need. Every participant volunteers their time, so nothing is taken out along the way.
Want to donate or help out? Contact info@ctcommunity.org or charity@china2west.com.
2019 China Social Impact Awards
Recognised for community and culture.
C2W, the parent group of Shield Works, and the Come Together Community were named recipients of the 2019 China Social Impact Awards.
The awards are organised by the British Chamber of Commerce China in partnership with the United Nations China. This one came in the MNC category, for contributions to Community and Culture.
The work was mapped against three United Nations Sustainable Development Goals:
UK-China Bilateral Cooperation
Strengthening UK-China business ties.
Shield Works is a wholly British-owned enterprise operating in South China, and the group is active in the organisations that connect the two business communities.
Mark Clayton serves as Vice-Chair of the British Chamber of Commerce Guangdong, connecting British businesses with opportunities in South China. His CGTN interview below covers the Greater Bay Area and what it offers British firms.
Active members of the organisations that promote UK-China business partnerships.
Employees' CSR Engagement
Responsibility carried by individuals, not a department.
Mark Clayton received the AAT Excellence Award, which recognises contributions to social responsibility in the finance profession, and was subsequently featured on the cover of Accounting Technician magazine.
The Fair Pay Charter
Fair pay, embedded in how we buy.
In late 2024 Mark Clayton signed the Fair Pay Charter, a global initiative advocating liveable wages and economic fairness, as Custodian of the Charter for British Business in China and the first business signatory.
What the Charter is
The Fair Pay Charter works to ensure workers receive a wage they can live on with dignity.
It has already raised wages for 5.2 million people in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, and is working with governments and businesses in India, Malawi, Dubai and beyond.
It was founded and authored by Sheikh Aliur Rahman OBE and launched in May 2024 at Mansion House in London. Its adoption is projected as a UN Social Development Goal in 2030. Endorsements include:
- Baroness Patricia Scotland, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth
- Nikhil Seth, UN Assistant Secretary-General
- Michael Mainelli, 695th Lord Mayor of London
- Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London and C40 Cities Representative
What it changes here
We operate across global supply chains, so sustainability has to mean ethical treatment and fair wages for the people who actually build the product. The Charter's principles are written into our operations:
- Fair treatment and wages across our own supply chain.
- Ethical business practice encouraged among partners and vendors.
- Fair Pay principles written into our supplier selection criteria.
- Advocacy for industry-wide change, through the chambers we sit on.
Fair Pay standards sit inside our procurement and onboarding process, so partners meet ethical wage standards before they enter a client's supply chain rather than after.
Our People
A facility people want to work in.
The on-site gym is open to every member of staff, free, 24 hours a day. Training rooms run a structured development programme across departments.
These are not perks bolted on for an audit. They are why experienced engineers and technicians stay, and retained expertise is what keeps client quality consistent.
Meet the TeamBeyond the Audit
How responsibility shows up in practice.
People first inside the facility
A 24/7 gym free for all staff, dedicated training rooms with a structured development programme, and a working environment Western clients walk through regularly, because we invite them to.
Ethics through the supply chain
Suppliers are audited on the ground for capability, ISO status, and ethical compliance before joining a client chain, and held accountable for working standards as well as quality.
Measured environmental progress
ISO 14001 governs environmental management today; ISO 14064 greenhouse gas certification, our first formal step toward carbon neutrality, is in progress.
Audit documentation is available to clients and prospective clients on request, alongside our ISO certificates. See all certifications.