Equal treatment and equal opportunity in the supply chain

According to the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains in the Garment and Footwear Sector, the issue of equal treatment and equal opportunities falls under the industry risk of sexual harassment and sexual and gender-based violence in the workplace. We have identified the following risks in our supply chain:

• Workers are not treated well by supervisors.
  What are we doing about it? We have, for instance, organized trainings on internal and intercultural communication and provided training to the supervisors in the factories. Additionally, we collaborate with affected production facilities to conduct trainings that raise awareness among supervisors about responsible behavior.

• Unequal pay and promotion opportunities.
  What are we doing about it? We have integrated a gender breakdown by different positions within the production facilities into our annual wage survey. This has allowed us to gain insights into the pay of female and male workers in various positions.

All the risks listed here are potential risks that we have identified in our production countries and that have an increased likelihood of occurrence. (See also Risk Overview)

An obligation in and of itself is not enough, of course. Therefore, all of our producers are regularly and independently audited by organizations such as the Fair Wear. Auditors check carefully whether there are cases of discrimination. This is verified through interviews inside and outside the production site and by reviewing documents.

• How are workers recruited?
  
• What does the wage policy look like?
  
• Are men and women paid equally for the same work?
  
• Are men preferred for some positions even though women could do the same job, or vice versa?
  
• Are there any employees who are discriminated against in any manner or given advantages?

Fair Wear audits show that our producers fundamentally treat their employees equally. Women and men receive the same wages for the same work.

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