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52 2014 Registration Document
Social responsibility
2
Action plans
◗
Contribution to improvement of working
conditions in countries requiring special vigilance
◗
The 2015-2017 action plan, in collaboration
with the FIDH
The goal of conducting social audits of all Carrefour product manufacturers
in countries requiring special vigilance has been achieved, and the
sourcing and purchasing teams adopted the purchasing rules that were
rewritten at the end of 2013. In 2014, based on recommendations by
the FIDH and Carrefour’s assessment of its actions, a 2015-2017 action
plan was developed to encourage improvements in its suppliers’ working
conditions, focused on the following five points:
■
define indicators to measure results with respect to Carrefour’s
employee working condition requirements;
■
strengthen effectiveness of inspections and audits;
■
establish partnerships with suppliers;
■
consolidate control standards used by buyers;
■
implement programmes to prevent human rights abuses which are
supported by the Carrefour Foundation and conducted by FIDH and
its partners.
The programme was presented to the European Committee (EICC)
steering committee, which brings together trade unions and employers’
organisations, and progress will be tracked at each Committee meeting.
The action plan is also subject to internal monitoring by a committee
dedicated to human rights which brings together the departments
concerned.
◗
Proposed programmes to prevent human rights abuses
supported by the Carrefour Foundation and conducted
in cooperation with FIDH and partners
In 2015, the Carrefour Foundation will set up a partnership programm
with FIDH which may propose, subject to the approval of the Carrefour
Foundation Board of Directors, the financing of projects to promote
respect for human rights in the supply chain and the support of actions
by non-governmental organisations and other independent local players
concerned.
◗
Recap of applicable rules
Inspections of working conditions at manufacturing sites began in 2000.
The process begins before any orders are placed, and is a prerequisite.
The process was made more rigorous in 2013, and a written reminder
of Carrefour’s purchasing rules was sent to all Group countries by the
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Carrefour in September 2013.
Training was provided to all purchasing teams. In 2014, the purchasing
teams worked to implement these rules.
Carrefour’s requirements in terms of working conditions in manufacturing
are defined in its Supplier Charter, which is an integral part of the purchase
contract signed by every supplier prior to listing.
The Supplier Charter includes the following eight commitments:
■
prohibition of the use of forced labour, bonded labour, debt bondage
or prison labour;
■
prohibition of child labour;
■
respect for freedom of association and recognition of the right
to collective bargaining;
■
prohibition of all forms of discrimination, harassment or violence;
■
health and safety;
■
decent salaries, benefits and terms of employment;
■
working hours;
■
business ethics.
The eight commitments are broken down into specific requirements.
Under this charter, the Group prohibits reliance on subcontracting and
reminds each supplier of its responsibility for its own supply chain. It further
specifies Carrefour’s commitment to avoiding the use of practices which
could prevent its suppliers from complying with the Supplier Charter,
such as imposing delivery deadlines which result in exceeding the lawful
number of working hours.
As part of our ongoing monitoring efforts, all potential suppliers are
subject to a social audit, the result of which is included in the selection
process on the same footing as quality or commercial terms.
The process implemented by Carrefour consists of several levels of
inspection:
■
inspection by Carrefour teams: the teams responsible for identifying
future suppliers carry out preliminary visual inspections of factory
working conditions. A guide entitled Good Factory Standards was
published based on photos in the textile sector;
■
audit based on the ICS methodology prior to listing: before an order
can be placed, an outside company specialising in social audits
carries out a full verification of the factory’s compliance with the ICS
(Initiative Clause Sociale) framework (see below). The framework is
common to several French retailers and incorporates the requirements
of the Carrefour Supplier Charter. Only suppliers who have achieved
an adequate level of compliance following the audit are listed and
authorised to produce Carrefour products;
■
ICS audit during manufacturing: unannounced audits are carried
out throughout the commercial relationship to check that working
conditions remain in line with the requirements of the Supplier Charter.
In the event of non-compliance, a corrective action plan is established
in conjunction with the supplier and a new audit is carried out to check
that it has been implemented;
■
specific and second-opinion audits: in addition to the audits and
inspections described above, Carrefour appoints specialist external
companies to carry out checks on specific points. In 2014, the teams
responsible for implementing the Bangladesh Accord (see below)
carried out fire safety, electrical compliance and structural audits in
Asia (including alarms and operation of equipment).
KEY FIGURES
In 2014, 46.6% of the
1,508
social audits carried out
were follow-up audits
All Carrefour product suppliers located in sensitive
countries (source: MAPLECROFT) are audited prior to
listing