Code of conduct

1. 1. Legal compliance
   2. Prohibition of corruption and bribery
   3. Respect for the basic human rights of employees
   4. Prohibition of child labor
   5. Health and Safety of Employees
   6. Environmental protection and biodiversity
   7. Animal Welfare
   8. Supply Chain
   9. Transparency

1 Legal Compliance

1.1 to comply with the laws of the applicable legal system. Furthermore, strives to improve best practices for the industry and international standards including the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

1.2 to set up management systems to monitor and evaluate the work conditions to ensure compliance with relevant requirements including this CoC.

2. Prohibition of Corruption and Bribery

2.1 to not tolerate nor engage in any form of corruption, extortion, fraud, or bribery, including any payment or other form of benefit conferred by any government official or others, with the purpose of influencing decision-making in violation of law.

3 Respect for the Basic Human Rights and labour rights of Employees

3.1 to accept no discrimination and promote equal opportunities for and treatment of its employees irrespective of skin color, race, nationality, social background, disabilities, civil relations, sexual orientation, political or religious conviction, sex, or age.

3.2 to respect the personal dignity, privacy, and rights of each individual.

3.3 to refuse to employ or make anyone work against his will – no bonded, forced labor, or human trafficking (employer may not retain identity documents) – workers are free to move and to terminate their contract, change employer, and safely return.

3.4 to refuse to tolerate any unacceptable treatment of employees, such as mental cruelty, or sexual harassment, and to prohibit violent behavior including gestures, inappropriate language, and physical contact, that is coercive, threatening, abusive, or exploitative.

3.5 to provide fair remuneration for all workers (such as migrants, seniors, pregnant workers, and graduates) and to guarantee the applicable national statutory minimum wage that should be as close as possible to a living wage.

3.6 to ensure that all workers are informed (in a language understandable to the individual worker) about their rights and responsibilities upon employment – this includes a written contract stating working conditions.

3.7 to have no precarious employment, this includes using employment arrangements that deliberately do not correspond to the genuine purpose e.g. by exploitation, apprenticeship, or training schemes where there is no intent to improve skills, provide regular employment, or if the employment undermines worker´s protection e.g. by using seasonality work or subcontracting.

3.8 to ensure decent working hours and comply with the maximum number of working hours laid down in the applicable laws and the right to resting breaks in every working day.

3.9 to recognize, as far as legally possible, the right of collective bargaining and free association of employees and to neither favor nor discriminate against members of employee organizations or trade unions.

4 Prohibition of Child Labor

4.1 to - unless the employee falls under section 4.2 - employ no employees under the age of 15 or, in those countries subject to the developing country exception of the ILO Convention 138, to employ no employees under the age of 14.

4.2 to – presumed it is permitted by national laws – only employ children aged 12 and 15 to perform a few hours of light and simple work per day.

4.3 to refrain from hiring young employees (below age 18) to perform any type of work, which is likely to jeopardize their health, safety, morals, or development including working at night.

4.4 to plan the working hours of young people so that it allows their attendance in school where applicable.

4.5 to protect any children from any form of exploitation.

5 Health and Safety of Employees

5.1 to take responsibility for the health and safety of its employees. Special protection must be ensured for vulnerable individuals such as young workers, pregnant or persons with disabilities.

5.2 to control hazards and take the best reasonably possible precautionary measures against accidents and occupational diseases.

5.3 to provide training and ensure that employees are educated in health and safety issues.

5.4 to set up or use an adequate occupational health and safety management system and provide adequate occupational medical assistance.

5.5 to ensure a good working environment including adequate lighting and ventilation system (heating and cooling) and provide access to free clean drinking water as well as eating and resting areas, and where applicable provide access to cooking and food storage areas.

5.6 to provide access to an adequate number of safe, separate toilets with paper, towels, and washbasins with soap in all work areas.

6 Environmental Protection

6.1 to act in accordance with the applicable statutory and international standards regarding environmental protection. This includes avoiding or reducing adverse impacts on the surrounding communities, natural resources, climate, and general environment.

6.2 to minimize negative environmental impacts through environmental policies and procedures that protect the environment and the use of resources – raw materials, water, and energy.

6.3 to positively contribute to the conservation of biological diversity, the sustainable use of their components, and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilisation of genetic resources. 

6.4 to avoid and address land, marine, and freshwater degradation, including deforestation. 

6.5 to minimize waste of all types, including water, energy, and physical materials. Through the operation processes and handling of equipment and materials, waste reduction must be considered at all times. Furthermore, environmental considerations must be kept during production, maintenance, and facility processes, this includes considerations of materials substitutions, conservations, recycling, and re-use of materials to ensure a more circular economy. 

6.6 to minimize environmental pollution and make continuous improvements in environmental protection including identifying and handling chemicals or other materials posing a hazard if released into the environment. The purpose is to ensure safe handling, movement, storage, recycling, reuse, or disposal. This entails, amongst others, only purchasing organic or certified wool and cotton to limit water usage during production and avoid chemicals and pesticides in soil, as well as food and water supply.

6.7 to set up or use an adequate environmental management system for handling air emissions, energy efficiency, and waste including solid waste, hazardous waste, as well as wastewater.

7 Animal Welfare

7.1 to treat animals humanely and according to animal welfare laws and recommendations. 

7.2 to ensure that under no circumstances live-skinning, live-plucking or live-boiling occurs.

7.3 to never source materials derived from species that appear on the CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) or IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) lists of endangered species. n production. 

7.4 to never practice animal testing 

7.5 to only source leather as a by-product from animals that have been bred for the food industry

7.6 to never use real fur, exotic skins, skins from wild animals, or bones in manufacturing. 

8 Supply Chain

8.1 to use best efforts to promote compliance with this CoC, and to comply with the principles of nondiscrimination with regard to supplier selection and treatment.

9 Transparency

9.1 to act if the CoC is breached and to inform and discourse findings or incidents to relevant parties of critical incidents and breaches.

9.2 to publish a written human rights policy statement and/or monitor the work environment.