H&M comments on the report on Turkish garment supply chains
A published report, issued by the Business & Human rights Resource Centre (BHRC), summarizes the responses of 28 European clothing brands on how they are protecting Syrian refugees in their supply chain. H&M was one of the nine brands that fully responded to the questionnaire sent out by BHRC. One question addressed if the brands have identified supplier factories employing Syrian child refugees in 2015. In the case of H&M, we transparently replied that in 2015, our regular audits identified one case of child labour in Turkey. There was also a lack of work permit and according to our policy, we terminated this business relationship immediately.
H&M does not accept child labour in any condition. We have had a policy on child labour since 1997 based on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and ILO convention 138, and all H&M’s suppliers have committed to follow our strict Code of Conduct.
After identifying the case of child labour as well as lack of work permit at a factory in Turkey in 2015, we terminated this business relationship immediately. We then informed our NGO partner CYDD (Association for the Support of Contemporary Living) to get their support on the remediation activities. H&M together with the NGO created an action plan aligning with our policy by identifying the most suitable education option based on the need and aspiration.
If H&M obtains any information that child labour occurs in any part of its supply chain, H&M directly takes action and take all necessary measures. If a migrant worker has a work permit, we ensure that they receive the same entitlements as the local workers.
Phil Bloomer, Executive Director at Business & Human Rights Resource Centre said: “H&M deserve praise for their openness, and their action to eliminate child labour in their supply chain in a responsible and caring fashion. No brands want child labour in their supply chain. What matters is that H&M have been vigorous in seeking out the problem, and tackling it effectively in a way that supports the child. We need other European clothing brands to show equal vigour in eliminating this curse.”
Martin Buttle, ETI apparel and textiles lead said: “Unfortunately, refugees are vulnerable to exploitation and there is always an increased risk of issues such as child labour, but in complex and challenging business environments, responsible companies acknowledge problems, identify where the issues are in their supply chains and take action to tackle them. This is exactly what ETI brands, H&M and Next are doing in Turkey. H&M and Next have provided clear leadership in taking a responsible approach to a difficult issue. The civil war in Syria has presented exceptional circumstances for brands sourcing from Turkey and ETI member brands have taken action and collaborated around ethical standards, including engaging with their suppliers and lobbying the government on work permits.”