Our Code of Conduct

Code of Conduct General Statement of Belief

We believe in respect for all people and for the environment.

We believe in fair trade, in building trust through transparency, and in solving problems in a spirit of openness, mutual understanding, and respect.

1. Forced Labor

There will be no use of forced labor whether in the form of prison labor, indentured labor, bonded labor, or otherwise.

All workers must have the right to enter into and to terminate their employment freely.

2. Child Labor

The minimum age for an employee is 16 or the age for completing compulsory education, whichever is higher.

The minimum age for handling hazardous materials or working at night is 18.

3. Wages and Benefits

Under no circumstances may a worker be paid less than the legal minimum wage.

Overtime hours and wages must be subject to domestic law. Overtime wages must exceed regular hourly compensation.

4. Discrimination

There shall be no discrimination on the basis of personal beliefs or characteristics, such as: age, race, gender, nationality, religion, or social or ethnic origin.

5. Harassment and Abuse

Workers must not be subjected to any physical, sexual, psychological or verbal harassment or abuse.

6. Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining

All work places must respect legal rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining.

7. Health and Safety Issues

There must be safe and healthy working environments.

Steps should be taken to prevent accidents and injury, to promote health and safety training for workers, to provide clean toilet facilities and potable water, to allow sanitary food storage.

8. Environmental Standards

Factories should strive to minimize any possible damaging effects to the environment and to reduce the environmental impact of our operations.

Suppliers should have environmental management systems in place and strive for improvement in their areas of efficiency, emissions, pollution control, waste management, packaging and transport.

9.  Monitoring

Factories will allow monitoring by 1 Bag at a Time® or its representatives and allow them unrestricted access to its facilities and records.

 

Our code of Conduct was developed in conjunction with Verite, whose work safeguarding human rights is award winning and respected world-wide.

If you support our efforts, please consider requesting a quote for bags of your own that reflect your social and environmental beliefs.

Next: Bag Blog >