ETHICAL TRADE STRATEGY
Country Road sources clothing and accessories from various countries. In doing so, the Company considers the social and ethical implications of the manufacture of Country Road products. The Company’s approach to addressing this is to implement and audit labour standards for product vendors and incrementally integrate environmental standards for product vendors and sustainability principles into other procurement areas.
1. Human Rights & Labour standards for vendors
All Country Road primary vendors are required to be signatory to the Country Road Code of Labour Practice (CoLP). The CoLP is based on the International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions. Signed codes are consistently monitored and updated by our Sourcing Department and the majority of vendors are audited annually against the CoLP by a third party.
2. Environmental and Chemical standards for vendors
In 2009/10, Country Road launched the Environmental Code of Practice (ECoP) for the Dyeing, Printing and Finishing of Goods supplied to Country Road, which aims to ensure that within existing technology, no materials, dyes or chemicals used in the production of garments, fabrics, leather and/or textile-related products present an unacceptable risk to health or the environment during their manufacture, use or disposal. Primary vendors will be required to be signatory to the ECoP and primary vendors will be responsible for ensuring that both their own facilities and those of their third party suppliers are adhering to the ECoP.
3. Product Safety
Country Road has an obligation to ensure that all products offered for sale are as safe as can reasonably be possible for the purpose of which they are intended and must comply with current Australian & New Zealand legislation as well as world's best practice as far as possible.