People
Supply Chain
Our supply chain covers the production, logistics, and distribution of our products. Whilst global supply chains offer job opportunities and economic growth, adverse human rights impacts can occur at every stage of the supply chain, from the sourcing of raw materials to production lines in factories. Hunkemöller is committed to respecting, promoting, and protecting human rights in all its business operations, value chain, and in the communities where we and our suppliers operate. To do this, we follow all internationally recognized human rights conventions and treaties, the United Nations Guiding Principles on Human Rights (UNGPs), and the International OECD Guidelines for Human Rights and Environmental Due Diligence. By applying these guidelines and procedures, by investing in long-term relationships with our suppliers, and by using our influence to bring about positive change wherever adverse human rights impacts are linked to our business activities, we safeguard the rights of workers. Please click here for our Human Rights Policy Statement, here for our Labour Policy.
Suppliers
Hunkemöller does not own any factories. Instead, we work with independent manufacturers that also produce for other brands and retailers. We work with a limited number of key suppliers with years of technical expertise in their respective fields with whom we have built close and long-term collaborative relationships with. This helps us to really know them, understand their needs and challenges, and to conduct business in a sustainable and responsible manner. We are proud of our suppliers and our mutual efforts to uphold the best social and environmental due diligence standards. To increase transparency, we publish our Tier 1 supplier list. Tier 1 factories are those involved in the final manufacturing stage of our products and their packaging for shipping. We believe that being transparent allows brands to collaborate with civil societies and other organizations to identify, assess, and avoid actual or potential adverse human rights and environmental risks impacts. It also enables workers to assert their rights, hold brands accountable, and allows consumers to make informed decisions about their purchases. We update our supplier list twice a year and are committed to increasing transparency and disclosing deeper levels of our supply chain in the future. Please click here to download the full list of factories.
Two-Way Code of Conduct
We are committed to building an inclusive environment where everyone can realise their full potential and is treated with respect, as we believe that a culture of belonging is the key to true creativity and innovation. Our Two-Way Code of Conduct sets out the non-negotiable standards of behaviour that we expect from all our suppliers, their subcontractors, and other business partners who do business with Hunkemöller. It also stipulates what our suppliers can expect from Hunkemöller in regard to Responsible Purchasing Practice, human rights, and environmental due diligence. This code recognizes that human rights and environmental due diligence is a joint commitment and that meaningful progress requires collaboration. All our business partners must sign the Two-Way Code of Conduct Ethical Code of Conduct. In this way, they declare that they adhere to our standards and our joint commitment to the protection of human rights and the environment.
Factory Audits
100% of our Tier 1 factories are audited by independent third-parties on their social and environmental compliance. During these audits, they are checked, among other things, on health and safety, labour rights, working conditions, discrimination, the use of natural resources, and chemical management. In addition, we check the quality processes in the factory.
Complaints Mechanism
Hunkemöller strives to follow and respect all internationally recognised human rights norms, treaties, labour standards, and environmental laws and regulations. Complaints mechanisms are an important aspect of enforcing labour and human rights. They can be used to report and investigate any potential infringement or violation of corporate values or ethical principles. If, despite our best intentions and efforts, something goes wrong and our policies are violated, we want to know about it. To this end, our complaints mechanism is accessible by anyone or any organisation who wants to raise a concern about unethical and/or unlawful behaviour, violations of our Ethical Code of Conduct, or other concerns about potential or actual human rights violations or environmental infringements in relation to Hunkemöller’s operations. You can report a complaint here.
Responsible Purchasing Practices
We recognise the role that our purchasing practices have on our Business Partners’ ability to provide decent working conditions and ensure a positive environmental impact. Therefore, we joined the multi-stakeholder ‘Learning and Implementation Community’ to further enhance our understanding of and improve our Responsible Purchasing Practices. Responsible Purchasing Practices is a journey, and we are committed to continuously learning and improving our purchasing practices. Additionally, Responsible Purchasing Practices are an essential component in closing the living wage gap.
Living Wage
We believe that a decent standard of living should cover a family's basic needs, including the ability to handle unexpected events. We believe that a living wage is a fundamental human right which can help workers to find their way out of poverty. This wage should be earned during legal working hour limits (i.e. without overtime). We expect our suppliers to adequately compensate workers for their work. We do however see that, especially in high-risk countries, there is a gap between the minimum wage and living wage. We monitor employee wages through amfori BSCI audits and have developed a roadmap gain better insights into the living wage gap to determine the actual gap between the minimum and living wage in our factories.
