BSCI
People are at the heart of what we do. We care about the welfare of everyone who works for and with Profuomo throughout the world. We closely monitor the conditions in all the factories we work with and take swift action to improve unfair practices in close cooperation with our suppliers. All the factories in risk countries we work with have to comply with the Business Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI) criteria. The BSCI is a global business association for open and sustainable trade that helps companies like Profuomo improve social performance in their supply chain. We have been a member of the BSCI since 2004 and the conditions in our factories are monitored by independent auditors every year. Our aim is to be 90% BSCI compliant by 2021 with rating C (sufficient) or higher.
To ensure the highest standards possible, in addition to our membership of the BSCI, Profuomo also accepts audits from other systems such as SA8000, SMETA, FWF and WRAP. Please note that factories in low-risk countries do not have to carry out audits in order to be accepted for production as these countries already have laws in place to guarantee worker protection.
Code of Conduct
To protect the rights of the people we work with, Profuomo only does business with suppliers whose workplaces comply to the AMFORI Business Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI) principles and requirements and internationally recognized standards set by the International Labour Organisation (ILO). These conditions are laid out in the Profuomo Code of Conduct, which guarantees the following rights for people working for our suppliers and subcontractors engaged by our suppliers: the right to form unions, fair pay, health and safety, no child labour, no bonded labour, ethical business behaviour, no discrimination, decent working hours, protection for young workers, enforcement of contracts, and workers protection.
We work together with our business partners to ensure continuous improvement in all these areas, so our partners can develop their workplaces sustainably.
The Profuomo Code of Conduct is available to read here
Better buying
The impact of how companies like Profuomo purchase products from suppliers is more than purely financial. Placing large orders with tight deadlines for a low price makes it hard for suppliers to comply to our code of conduct and can result in substandard factory environmental and workplace performance. On the other hand, purchasing well in advance can support their financial performance and maintain good working conditions.
Therefore to further improve our buying practice by mid-2021 we will ask our Top 5 suppliers what we can do to avoid negative impact in our supply chain with our way of doing business. This process will be made possible and monitored by the Better Buying system. This platform allows our suppliers to anonymously rate our purchasing practices and will highlight which of our practices can be improved.
All the ratings a company receives on the Better Buying platform can be viewed by consumers, investors and civil society organizations so that they can see which companies support fair working conditions and fair business relationships.
