About this policy

This Ethical Sourcing Policy applies to all suppliers of goods and services to Onceit and the purpose is to set out our expectations.

Onceit operates its business in an ethical manner and is committed to meeting social, ethical and environmental standards throughout our supply chain and in all aspects of our operations.

Onceit expects its suppliers to comply with the following standards and any associated laws and regulations in the supplier’s country of operation and manufacture and in the manufacturing and distribution of goods and providing of services.

Child Labour

Suppliers must not use child labour and must only employ workers who meet the local minimum age requirement. Suppliers must verify the age of their workers and maintain evidence of proof of age.

Voluntary Labour

Suppliers are prohibited from using any kind of prison or bonded labour.

Workers must not be recruited or employed through human trafficking.

Any kind of obligation associated with recruitment fees, fines, loans, deferred payment is prohibited.

Suppliers shall not retain identity documents (such as passports or identity cards) unless at the request of workers and with written permission.

Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining

Suppliers are required to recognize and respect the right of their workers to freedom of association and collective bargaining in accordance with local law recognising the rights of unions and their organisational activities.

The employer must not hinder the development of parallel means for independent and free association and bargaining.

Working Conditions

Suppliers must provide workers with a safe and clean working environment and meet any applicable laws and standards.

Adequate steps must be taken to prevent accidents and injury to health occurring during work.

Suppliers must provide adequate safeguards against fire and shall ensure strength, stability and safety of buildings and equipment (including residential accommodation where provided). There must be adequate documentation of compliance checks of the above safeguards.

Workers must receive regular and recorded health and safety training. Such training must be repeated for new or reassigned workers.

Suppliers must ensure that personal protective equipment is available, and workers are trained in its use. Safeguards on machinery must meet or exceed local laws. There must be adequate documentation of regular maintenance of machinery.

Suppliers must provide workers with access to clean toilet facilities, clean and drinkable water and if appropriate, sanitary facilities for food storage and preparation.

Where suppliers provide worker accommodation, it must be clean, safe and meet the basic needs of the workers.

Wages

Wages and benefits paid either directly to workers or through an agency or broker, must meet, as a minimum, any applicable local laws or benchmark industry standards, whichever is the higher. In any event wages must always be enough to meet basic needs and provide some discretionary income.

All workers must be provided with written and understandable information about their employment conditions with respect to wages before they enter employment and about the particulars of their wages for each pay period.

Deductions from wages as a disciplinary measure is not permitted, nor any deductions from wages not provided for by local laws without the express permission of workers.

All disciplinary and performance management measures must be recorded.

Working hours

Working hours must comply with local laws and benchmark industry standards, whichever affords greater protection.

Overtime must be voluntary and not be excessive. It must not be demanded on a regular basis and must always be compensated correctly. Suppliers must record workers’ regular and overtime hours accurately as the basis for controlling excessive working hours and providing correct compensation.

Suppliers shall comply with national/local laws for workers’ entitlements to public and annual holidays.

Discrimination

Suppliers must not discriminate in hiring, promotion, compensation, access to training, promotion, termination or retirement, based on personal characteristics such as race, caste, national origin, religion, age, disability, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, union membership or political affiliation.

Discipline

Physical abuse or discipline, the threat of physical abuse, sexual or other harassment and verbal abuse or other forms of intimidation is prohibited. All disciplinary and performance management measures must be recorded.

Regular Employment

To every extent work performed must be on the basis of a recognised employment relationship established through national law and practice. Obligations to employees under local laws and regulations arising from the regular employment relationship must not be avoided through the use of labour-only contracting, subcontracting, home-working arrangements or through apprenticeship schemes where there is no real intent to impart skills or provide regular employment. In addition, any such obligations must not be avoided through the excessive use of fixed-term contracts of employment.

Illegal Labour

Suppliers must not use illegal labour and must be able to verify the right of their workers’ (including sub-contractors’) legal eligibility and entitlement to work in the country of employment by reviewing original documentation.

Environment

Suppliers must ensure safe and healthy working conditions for all workers and comply with local environmental protection laws and regulations.

Suppliers must ensure that key environmental impacts of facilities are identified and managed to minimise the impact of the supplier’s operations on the environment.

Bribery and Corruption

Suppliers must not engage in acts of bribery and corruption.

Suppliers must not offer money, gifts or other inducements to any employee of Onceit.

Compliance with this Policy

It is a supplier’s responsibility to ensure compliance with this Policy and maintain adequate records of all aspects of the ethical standards set out in this Policy.

Compliance Verification

We may require suppliers to forward us copies of their current Ethical, Social and Environmental compliance audit documents for all manufacturing facilities that produce goods. The type of audit documents we may require are SMETA, BSCI, AMFORI, WRAP, and ISO14001 (environment).

Onceit employees, agents or representatives may visit supplier’s factories or facilities to audit a supplier’s compliance with this Policy.

All Onceit Suppliers must fully cooperate with any audit process conducted by or on behalf of Onceit.

Non-Compliance

Non-compliance with this Policy will require the supplier to undertake corrective action, the extent of which will be dependent upon the nature of the breach.

Suppliers and their employees shall not attempt to fraudulently meet the requirements of this policy, or quality standard, or any other business requirement through any intentional misrepresentation or deception whether documentary or verbal in nature.

We reserve the right to terminate business relationships with suppliers that fall short of the expectations of this policy or fail to take appropriate corrective action where necessary.

Reporting Breach of Policy

For more information or to anonymously report any potential breach of Onceit Ethical Sourcing Policy please contact: ethical.sourcing@onceit.co.nz