Code of Conduct
Does everyone have to tow the line?
Yes. We use a type of compass. Anyone who wants to work with us has to follow it.
When it comes to collaborating with suppliers and partners we have very distinct ideas of what we expect and some firm principles. Anyone hoping to work with us needs to share our beliefs. Our Code of Conduct is based on International Labour Organization conventions. Safeguarding human rights is one of our key universal principles.
Is there any way you can improve working conditions?
Yes. With the help of our social programme.
Our social programme is geared at ensuring the Code of Conduct is adhered to, as well as improving working conditions across the globe. This includes facilitating safe, healthy workplaces in our suppliers’ factories, regulating working hours, paying fair wages, promoting the right to form unions, the freedom of organisation and to set tariffs, and eliminating all child and forced labour. Independent audits are carried out in our supplier companies to assess whether these criteria are being met.
Training courses and workshops are another cornerstone of our social programme, and also contribute to the continued improvement of working conditions. We attach great importance to long-term, strategic partnerships with our suppliers. Because together we are stronger.
What else is part of the social programme?
To raise awareness of social standards all over the world, the Otto Group (of which bonprix is a member) partakes in a number of international initiatives.
The Group is a founding member of the BSCI (Business Social Compliance Initiative) which now counts over 1500 companies across the globe. The aim of the BSCI is the continual improvement of working conditions throughout the international value-added chain. Independent audits are carried out in our supplier companies to ensure standards are being upheld.
Together with a number of other international organisations, the Otto Group has also signed the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh. Because we believe the people who help make our products have the right to a safe workplace.
What is the “Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh”?
This agreement aims to ensure every textile factory employee in Bangladesh has a safe and healthy workplace.
As a reaction to the collapse of Bangladesh’s Rana Plaza factory in 2013, the Otto Group helped develop and then signed the Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety. The accord’s goal is to ensure employees have access to safe, healthy working conditions.
Consequently, the accord contains mandatory, enforceable and transparent regulations regarding independent inspections, and stipulates that all inspection results must be published. Any maintenance measures are compulsory, and international customers and clients share the cost.
What does “BSCI” stand for?
BSCI stands for “Business Social Compliance Initiative”.
The initiative was founded by the Otto Group (of which bonprix is a member) in 2004. More than 1500 companies now subscribe to the BSCI, all with one common goal: to improve social standards along the entirety of the value-added chain. This includes providing safe, healthy working conditions with regular working hours, fair wages, the right to form unions, the freedom of organisation and to set tariffs, and the elimination of child and forced labour. Independent audits are carried out in our supplier companies to ensure these principles are upheld.
Do you take part in the Partnership for Sustainable Textiles?
Yes, we do.
Since June 2015 the Otto Group is a member of the Partnership for Sustainable Textiles (“Textile Partnership”) which has been initiated by the German government. The partnership, whose members are industrial corporations, non-governmental organisations as well as political institutions, aims at constantly improving the ecological as well as social standards within the textile value chain. The Otto Group supported the idea of a Textile Partnership from the beginning and is actively engaged in the definition of its objectives and activities.
