Labour

In BESTSELLER we have always believed in developing strong relationships with our suppliers. BESTSELLER wishes to favour suppliers who understand the importance of operating in accordance with the guidelines of our Code of Conduct. Although we admit that at the present time not all of our suppliers are living up to all the demands in our Code of Conduct, we are working with these suppliers through development plans to ensure that the working conditions are constantly improving.

Working with BESTSELLER’s Code of Conduct has given us a detailed insight into the conditions at the factories. As our knowledge has increased, so has our ability to influence these conditions in a positive way. We have experienced a lot of progress at the factories, and vast improvements have been made – especially within health and safety.

We have often been faced with significantly complex problems, where we have found that there are no simple solutions. These complex issues can be deeply rooted in societal problems in the different regions and can generally not be solved overnight or by individual companies. Therefore, we have realized that when faced with more difficult and diverse problems, it is necessary for us to form a co-operation with other stakeholders to achieve positive and lasting changes. Read more here.  

If we feel that a supplier is showing absolutely no will to improve the working conditions over time, and development plans are not followed, BESTSELLER will be forced to terminate the cooperation with the supplier involved.

But every time we succeed in contributing to improving the conditions at one factory, it benefits hundreds of people. This is exactly what working with BESTSELLER's Code of Conduct is all about – we want to contribute to creating the best possible working environment for the people who are involved in making our products around the world every day.

Read our health and safety guidelines for suppliers here.

How does BESTSELLER ensure that suppliers follow the Code of Conduct?
In BESTSELLER we conduct routine audits at our suppliers’ factories around the world. At these visits we examine whether the supplier follows BESTSELLER’s Code of Conduct, and from the audit we identify the areas in which the supplier needs to improve. Read more about our audits here.

What does BESTSELLER do to help the suppliers follow the Code of Conduct?
BESTSELLER’s Code of Conduct activities also include training of suppliers. Via our Better Suppliers Programme selected suppliers receive training to optimise their productivity, employee satisfaction, the communication between management and employees as well as training of the employees. The training programme should help the suppliers implement the development plans which have been made on the basis of the audits.

How does BESTSELLER inform the workers about their rights and responsibilities?
BESTSELLER has distributed booklets about workers' rights, health and safety etc. to 50,000 workers in China and 8,000 workers in Turkey, and posters have been put up at all our suppliers' factories covering the same issues. View the booklets made for the Chinese workers (in English) here.

How does BESTSELLER cope with child labour?
BESTSELLER’s Code of Conduct states that workers at the factories manufacturing products for our company must not be under the age of 15. This is in accordance with the International Labour Organisation standards. Read more here.