Enhancing our Responsible Sourcing Program
In support of our responsible sourcing program and as part of our Global Sourcing and Operating Guidelines (GSOG), LS&CO. conducts thorough assessments of all countries where we have or are considering placing production. Country assessments help us to determine potential risks and assist in making responsible sourcing decisions.
In performing the country assessments, we examine a range of factors in three broad categories – external circumstances, labor laws and conditions, and the legal environment. Within those categories, we look at the following:
- External circumstances — human health and safety conditions, human rights environment, political conditions, social conditions and economic climate.
- Labor laws and conditions — child labor, prison/forced labor, working hours, disciplinary practices, wages and benefits, freedom of association, workplace health and safety standards and discrimination.
- Legal environment — customs, trade, illicit drugs and corruption, environmental laws and intellectual property rights.
A country is reassessed periodically or if it experiences a significant event that would affect the risks considered in the existing assessment.
Additionally, we engage directly with local governments when issues around respect for our Terms of Engagement arise in factories from which we source. Issues on which we have engaged include enforcement of labor laws and freedom of association. We also work with governments through participation in multi-stakeholder initiatives such as the ILO Better Factories Cambodia project and the MFA Forum.
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