Ethical trading between the ‘Arcadia Group’:
The Arcadia Group isn’t just based in one individual country, but has strong connections with their international suppliers. Their foods are manufactured in roughly 985 factories, through 766 suppliers where their top 20 suppliers provide 44% of their goods. All products are made in 49 countries worldwide.Their top ten countries accounted for 91% and the top five for 71% of the goods were actually sold. These five countries were; China, Turkey, Romania, India and Bangladesh.
LABOUR PRIORITIES:
Living wage
Freedom of association
Purchasing PRACTICES
Vulnerable workers
Arcadia has joined the multi-retailer initiative ACT (Action, Collaboration, Transformation), which is there to address the issue of living wages in the textile and garment supply chain. It is there to improve wages by establishing industry collective bargaining in key garment and textile sourcing countries, which is supported by world class manufacturing standards and responsible purchasing practices. ACT establishes agreements to negotiate and agree to wages and conditions within a country. It sets a benchmark that applies to all manufacturers, but still allows individual manufacturers to offer higher pay and conditions. Arcadia supports the position that all workers in our supply chain, including piece rate, subcontracted, informal, home and migrant workers, should always receive sufficient wages to meet their needs
for nutritious food, clean water and other needs as well as a living wage.
They ensure that freedom is guaranteed. Only a small percentage of the factories, their suppliers use to known to have trade union presence. But, they still continue to communicate with suppliers as well as factories about the benefits of freedom of association As a minimum Arcadia expects their suppliers to ensure that factory workers are given the right to organise.
Arcadia believes that by improving the way they design or buy goods, and by raising awareness amongst their teams of the effects on factory workers, they can create a positive impact. A positive impact on how suppliers’ factories manage their people, their production and working environment.
In past years, Arcadia has been trying to improve the recruitment and working conditions of migrant workers who travel from one country to another for employment. And this is why they have also developed their Migrant Workers’ Guidelines, which are in their Code of Conduct. In their business, there are also home workers. Home working involves doing the tasks set at home, which provides a way for people to balance their work and home life. Arcadia supports factories that provide this option.
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