Bonmarché becomes full member of Ethical Trading Initiative

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Feb 19, 2016

British women’s value retailer Bonmarché announced on Friday it has been awarded full membership into the Ethical Trading Initiative, an organisation that promotes respect for workers’ rights around the globe.

Ian Leader, Quality and Sourcing Manager at Bonmarché said: “This is an important milestone of recognition in how we operate as a business. Bonmarché takes great pride in ensuring our products are safe for customers and manufactured under safe, fair and humane working conditions.”

The company joined ETI as a foundation stage member in July 2013, but has now been upgraded because of its commitment to ethical practice within its core business and for supporting suppliers to improve working conditions. In the past few years, Bonmarché has also led collaborations with other brands seeking to drive positive change in the work environment.

“When companies join ETI they are effectively making a statement that they are serious about ethical trade and that they want to be part of a leading community of socially conscious brands,” explained Wiebke Flach, ETI Head of Membership. 

The Ethical Trading Initiative is a leading alliance of companies and trade unions united by their commitment to ethical trade. Its members pledge to adopt the ETI base code, widely acknowledged as a model code of labour practice.

Other foundation stage members include H&M, Hunter, River Island and Whistle,s, while further retail companies having full membership include Burberry, C&A, Fat Face, Gap, Jager, Inditex and Stella McCartney.