Frequently Asked Questions
Social Responsibility
Environment
Community
Do you have a code of conduct?
Yes, our code of conduct was first established in 1996, revised in 2000 and again in 2007. You can find it on the code of conduct page.
Who monitors your code of conduct?
Our Head of Supplier Management and Ethical Sourcing Manager monitor our code of conduct. Our trained employees visit factories on a regular basis. Among other things, they will be looking for violations of our code of conduct. Any concerns will be discussed immediately with the factory and we will work together with them to remedy the issue wherever possible.
We also work with some of the world's largest international auditing bodies to conduct independent audits at factories that produce goods for our brands. Any issues identified during the audit are followed up by agreeing with the factory a specific corrective action plan. A further audit may take place to ensure compliance. The international audit bodies conduct their audits in the local language, with local auditors, against the Arcadia code of conduct.
How do your factories know about your code of conduct?
Each factory must complete a factory set up form/self assessment document, which contains details of our code of conduct. The factory signs each section of this document to acknowledge that they have received the document, that they understand and that they will comply with each section of the code. The code is also an integral part of the Supplier Handbook and is available on the supplier extranet. Our aim is for a programme of continual improvement.
Do you work with factories that use child labour?
We make it clear at the beginning of our relationship with a supplier that we will not work with any factory that employs children. This is one of the most serious violations of our code of conduct. To work with us, suppliers must agree to employ factory workers who meet the minimum legal age requirement in that country or the minimum age in our code, whichever is higher.
The United Nations define a child as any person less than 15 years of age unless local minimum law stipulates a higher age for work or mandatory schooling, in which case the higher shall apply. If, however, local minimum age law is set at 14 years of age, in accordance with developing country exceptions under ILO Convention No 138, the lower will apply.
Do you use prisoners in your supply chain?
We will not work with any factory that employs forced labour. It is one of the most serious violations of our code of conduct. If prison or forced labour is discovered during production we will address the situation immediately and ensure the wellbeing of the individuals concerned. The convention that deals with forced or prison labour is C29 Forced Labour Convention, 1930. This particular convention is referred to as the Convention Concerning Forced or Compulsory Labour and is available on www.ilo.org.
Do you support factory workers' right to join a union?
Yes, our code of conduct is very clear in this area:
- We believe that every worker has the right, without distinction, to join or form trade unions of their own choosing and to bargain collectively within the law of the land of the country concerned
- We expect the employer to adopt an open attitude towards the activities of trade unions and their organisational activities
- We expect that workers representatives are not discriminated against and have access to carry out their representative functions in the workplace
- Where the right to freedom of association and collective bargaining is restricted under law, we would expect that the employer facilitates, and does not hinder, the development of parallel means for independent and free association and bargaining.
Do you support the concept of a living wage as opposed to a minimum wage?
We support the principle of a living wage. The challenge is how to measure it. Until there is a universally agreed alternative, we rely on a solid benchmark specified by an ILO Convention and that is the minimum wage set by law in the appropriate country or local industry benchmark standards.
This is a complex topic, which many other organisations are also finding. It is important to remember that we don't own the factories that produce our merchandise so we do not employ the factory workers directly. Among the practical points with the implementation of the living wage is that many factories work for different brands. The living wage issue also faces the challenge where in a globalised supply chain a living wage in one country can be significantly lower than in another.
We remain committed to addressing the issue and being involved in the search for solutions to the living wage debate that can be implemented in a sustainable manner. We continue to take part in active dialogue with leading NGOs and fellow retailers on this challenging issue.
Which garment manufacturing countries are on your 'banned' list?
Currently our banned list includes Myanmar (formerly known as Burma), North Korea, Uzbekistan and Iran.
Why do you not have a country of origin label on your products?
We do list the country of origin on the vast majority of our products. However, the fast fashion element of our business means that some suppliers have to be flexible about which of their factories they use to manufacture our goods and, as a result, do not list the country of origin.
That said, all our suppliers still need to comply with our Code of Conduct.
Do you sell Fairtrade goods?
Topshop and Topman have developed Fairtrade ranges.
In particular, Topshop has built partnerships with a number of brands to develop products that are made from organic and Fairtrade cotton.
Working closely with People Tree, the brand placed a large advanced order of organic cotton that was used to create Fairtrade garments. The range was launched in store during the Fairtrade Fortnight event in March 2007.
The brand worked with one of its major jersey suppliers to achieve accreditation to manufacture Fairtrade Certified Cotton, helping to drive volumes and improve prices through economies of scale. Fairtrade Certified Cotton gives cotton farmers in developing countries a better deal, by ensuring that sustainable costs of production are covered and providing an addition premium for investment in their communities.
Do you use fur in any of your garments?
We do not permit the use of fur in any of our products.
Do you sell organic goods?
Topshop currently stocks capsule ranges made from organic cotton and works with concession partners to offer organic product in store. Dorothy Perkins and Evans have started to develop organic ranges.
Is your nightwear flame retardant?
Yes, the flammability of the clothing we sell complies with all current UK and European legislation, including:
- Nightwear (Safety) Regulations 1985
- Toy Safety Regulations
- General Product Safety Regulations.
Who do you consider to be the key people involved in your business?
Employees, customers, product suppliers, service providers and their associated workers.
Why are you not members of the ETI?
Our own ethical sourcing programme – and its resultant code of conduct – has been in existence since 1996 and replicates the ETI Base Code as well as being underpinned by the ILO core conventions. We have an open dialogue with many interested stakeholders and we believe we can move our programme forward successfully without being members of any independent ethical body.
What are you doing to reduce your impact on the environment?
We have an extensive ongoing programme in this area and we have made significant progress on a number of fronts. These include the following:
- We work with suppliers to ensure that they are aware of all the relevant technical legislation and that they comply with the relevant requirements concerning the use of prohibited or restricted substances
- All paper disposed of in bins marked 'green recycling' and 'confidential' at our Head Office is recycled while we have an arrangement with our landlord to collect cardboard to be recycled
- ActionAid Recycling collects ink and toner cartridges to raise money for its work in fighting global poverty
- Plastic cups from water coolers disposed of in special bins are collected every two weeks by Save a Cup to be recycled. Special bins are located by or near to every water cooler
- We offer a wide choice of company cars and CO2 emissions are highlighted so that employees can make informed decisions. We have a below average industry mileage pattern of about 6,000 business miles travelled per car and our overall CO2 on company cars is better than industry standards at 164 g/km
- We encourage car sharing and pay a passenger allowance
- We have a modern fleet of vehicles for store deliveries. Sixty per cent of vehicles were replaced in 2006
- Our vehicles have airflow management kits to improve fuel efficiency
- Driver fuel efficiency is monitored constantly and we are conducting a trial of vehicle tracking to improve driver behaviour
- We are reviewing the use of bio-fuels
- Vehicle loads are planned carefully to ensure that vehicle load fill is optimised and mileage is minimised
- We trade from seven brands and our out-of-town shopping concept, which together total around 2,500 outlets. We consolidate deliveries for some brands to minimise the number of vehicles going into city centres
- Extensive use is made of out-of-hours deliveries to stores
- We are re-cycling clean waste (plastics and cardboard) at more than 550 stores
- We collaborate with Severnside Re-cycling, our waste management partner.
What initiatives are you involved with to reduce greenhouse gases or emissions?
We have had an energy efficiency initiative in place since January 2006 and the drive has seen some major improvements.
Each brand and DC has its own Energy Champion, whose role it is to encourage energy saving. There have been significant reductions in energy use in our stores, head offices and distribution centres from simple initiatives such as turning off unnecessary lights, PC monitors and photocopiers.
Most of our stores now have smart meters fitted so they can be monitored for consumption and any irregularities spotted.
Energy efficient lamps are replacing standard ones across the entire store portfolio – both in new stores and existing ones. The lamps provide the same level of lighting in store but save energy and produce less heat, reducing the need for air conditioning during the warmer months. In existing stores the lamps are being introduced as old ones are replaced and we expect all lamps to be switched over by 2010.
Attention is now being turned to our three distribution centres to make our lighting, heating and air-conditioning systems more energy efficient.
In terms of our transport impacts, stock is brought together across our brands in our distribution centres so that we can deliver to all our outlets in one town on a single vehicle. Software is used to plan deliveries in the most efficient way and we are taking part in a trial underway in Bristol using an electric vehicle to deliver into the city.
Do you comply with the RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) and WEEE (Waste Electrical Electronic Equipment) Directives?
We have procedures in place to ensure that all our suppliers are educated and comply with all aspects of this environmental legislation. We have registered with Valpak to ensure we comply with both our 'Distributor' and 'Producer' obligations set out in the WEEE Directive.
What is your waste recycling policy?
More than 550 of our stores recycle around 85% of their waste, which is made up of cardboard and polythene. A further 340 handle recycling via their shopping centre or retail park management. Meanwhile, we are targeting a further 800 stores across our estate to achieve similar levels of recycling.
In our head offices dry recycling is being collected. This includes non-confidential office paper, newspapers, magazines, mineral water or drinks bottles and cans.
What's your approach to washing instructions and advising customers to wash at 30 degrees?
We encourage and are extending the use of wash care labels that promote a 30 degree wash temperature on suitable garments.
What are you doing to assist the disabled community?
The vast majority of our stores have access to all floors with 76% assessed as having access for disabled customers. We have plans in place to improve access where possible, which would bring that level to 95% of our estate.
Where access to all areas of a store is not possible we offer alternatives including a 'personal shopper' service where a selection of items of clothing can be brought by our staff to the customer.
All our brands offer on-line shopping. Customers can access merchandise via the internet and all our online stores are optimised for accessibility.
