OPERATING WITH INTEGRITY
“Customers today are expecting more personalised, fast-paced and convenient shopping experiences, while at the same time becoming increasingly conscious of where and how their products are made.
Around the world, we’re seeing a greater number of customers choosing to shop with brands that conduct their business operations ethically, are transparent and have a purpose that goes beyond selling their products.
As a family-run business, operating with integrity has run at the core of the Cotton On Group since day one, underpinned by a firm belief that it is not just the best way to do business but simply the right thing to do.
Our commitment in this area led to the creation of our Ethical Sourcing Program and 14 Rules to Trade, which guides and governs the sourcing, manufacturing and supply of our products.
Our business works closely with hundreds of suppliers globally to ensure they understand and adhere to our 14 Rules to Trade, which covers important issues like workers rights and the environment.
A critical factor in the success of our Ethical Sourcing Program is the long-standing partnerships we have with our suppliers – many of whom have been with the business over the last 20 years.
The strength of these partnerships, supported by a strong two-way dialogue, allows us to work together to ensure the environments in which our products are made are safe and fair, while continually looking for ways to be more sustainable.
Today, we also have a major focus on traceability and have been working closely with each of our suppliers to trace where and how each of our products are made – all the way through to raw materials.
Our current goal is end-to-end mapping of all suppliers and materials used in our products and we have set ourselves a target to achieve 100 percent public disclosure across all stages of production by the end of 2018.
As we work towards full traceability, we continue to look for opportunities where we can positively impact communities within our supply chain, one of which is in the area of cotton sourcing.
As a business that uses thousands of tonnes of cotton each year, we know there is enormous opportunity to support more sustainable cotton farming practises, and make a positive difference in people’s lives along the way.
Through our partnership with the Better Cotton Initiative and our very own sustainable cotton farming project in Kenya, we’re working towards having 100 percent more sustainable cotton through our supply chain by 2021.
We’re incredibly proud of what we have achieved to date, but we know there is always more to be done, and we’re on a continuous road to improvement. Our score in Baptist World Aid’s 2017 Australian Fashion Report is testament to this, and we’ll continue to work hard to ensure the environments in which our products are sourced and manufactured are safe, fair and sustainable.”
