Fostering Integrity And Equitable Treatment

Ethical business practices have become the norm – if not expectation. Employees want to work for companies that care. Customers want to buy products from brands and companies they trust are doing the right thing. And investors want to support a company that exudes integrity in every decision made and action taken.

But, ethical behavior extends far beyond the reach of a company’s four walls. It also encompasses the business practices of the suppliers and partners with which the company chooses to do business.

Taking Action

“At Shurtape, ethical business practices have always been of utmost importance – in fact, they are baked right into our core values – Believing in People, Fostering Stewardship and Communicating Openly and Honestly,” said Roxie Jarrett, Regulatory Specialist. “We are committed to maintaining an ethical culture that continuously fosters an atmosphere of integrity and equitable treatment of all employees – whether those employees are within our own facilities or within the facilities of our partners or suppliers domestically and globally.”

In order to support that commitment to being an upstanding manufacturer – and give our partners, customers and communities confidence in the ethical business practices of not only our organization, but also of those throughout our global supply chain, Shurtape:

• Maintains an AB membership in Sedex (Supplier Ethical Data Exchange), a global organization committed to managing social compliance and improving working conditions in global supply chains
• Maintains a zero-tolerance policy with regard to Modern Slavery
• Maintains a Social Compliance (SC) program that requires ethical practice documentation
• Requires verification of no human trafficking or child labor in their own facilities, as well as their supply chain via the Human Trafficking (HT) Self-Certification for all suppliers

Committing to an Ethical Culture

These actions allow us to identify risks throughout our supply chain related to our sourcing of raw materials and manufacturing. These risks may include human trafficking, forced or compulsory labor, child labor and poor working conditions (wages, penalties and working hours).

“Using risk assessment results, we conduct both announced and unannounced third-party audits of identified higher-risk suppliers. Our expectation – and requirement – is that any critical vulnerabilities identified by our audits are promptly and certifiably addressed,” explained Jarrett. “To date, 94% of our Tier 1 Suppliers in high-risk areas (outside of North America) participate in our Social Compliance Program and have provided Human Trafficking Certification.”

Through these actions, we continue to solidify our commitment to being an upstanding manufacturer – allowing our communities and customers to be confident in our practices – and that we are aligning with suppliers who share our same commitment.