In 2020, Bureau Veritas conducted audits at five ECCO production units. The audit scope was local legislation on environment, health & safety and employment relations. ECCO also asked Bureau Veritas to shadow some of ECCO’s auditors, when they conducted CoC supplier audits. The purpose was to see if audits are conducted according to the defined standards. ECCO’s internal audit programme is supplemented by audits conducted by business partners, as ECCO’s shoe factories and tanneries do not only produce for ECCO – they also produce leather for external luxury brands and shoes for retail and wholesale customers. These customers frequently conduct strict audits at ECCO, which also include human rights related topics. ECCO is aware of the importance of complementing audits with other measures and processes, particularly in the area of modern slavery and human trafficking. ECCO therefore has environment and health and safety officers at all its factories to assist workers in voicing their concerns related to working conditions. Local HR departments ensure a solid introduction to ECCO’s CoC and ethical standards as part of the onboarding for new employees. ECCO further has a ”CoC Notifier Mechanism”, where ECCO’s employees and business partners can raise concerns relating to CoC breaches confidentially whenever needed. ECCO also supports its employees in raising concerns directly with their superior or HR departments to ensure the most efficient and immediate follow-up. When this is not considered possible or practical, the employees can raise their concerns anonymously through the notifier system. Contractually, ECCO requires its suppliers and business partners as a minimum to comply with ECCO’s Code of Conduct. Non-compliance is considered a material breach and may cause termination of the contract. ECCO’s suppliers are required to ensure similar compliance by their sub-suppliers. In this way, ECCO seeks to promote the respect for labour and human rights further down in its supply chain. RISK OF MODERN SLAVERY TAKING PLACE IN ECCO’S OPERATIONS AND SUPPLY CHAIN ECCO acknowledges that risks related to modern slavery and human trafficking constantly evolve and are not confined to any country or continent. The most significant risk of modern slavery occurs where ECCO has less control. This is for example the part of the supply chain that provides the company with services and materials, such as uppers, laces, inlay soles, machinery, and chemicals. The risks are also considered high when dealing with other business partners that provide services to ECCO, such as cleaning companies and construction companies. ECCO continues to focus on expanding its strong audit and compliance system to additional suppliers beyond ”tier 1” and “tier 2” of its supply chain. ECCO regularly provides up-to-date trainings to its CoC auditors and key personnel to discuss how to identify and address the risks of modern slavery. COC AUDITS PRE-SCREENINGS OF NEW SUPPLIERS EXTERNAL LEGAL AUDITS CONDUCTED AT 5 ECCO PRODUCTION UNITS ALL ECCO TANNERIES RANKED GOLD BY THE LEATHER WORKING GROUP
Download PDF file
Cookie policy