In order to implement this in our production sites, all of our producers are obligated to refrain from employing children and to following regulations for employing youth. The obligation is as follows:
“There shall be no use of child labor. The age for admission to employment shall not be less than the age of completion of compulsory schooling and, in any case, not less than 15 years. Exploitation, slavery, trafficking, debt bondage, serfdom and forced labor are prohibited. Young people aged 15-18 are subject to special protections. They shall not perform work which, by its nature or the circumstances in which it is carried out, is likely to harm their health, safety or morals.”
According to the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains in the Garment and Footwear Sector, child labor is a industry risk. We have identified the following risks in our supply chain:
All the risks listed here are potential risks that we have identified in our production countries and have a higher likelihood of occurrence. (see also Risk Overview)
An obligation in and of itself is not enough, of course. Therefore, all of our producers are regularly and independently audited by organizations such as Fair Wear. Auditors check carefully whether there are cases of child labor. This is verified through interviews inside and outside the production site and by reviewing documents.
The Fair Wear 2023 audits show that there were no cases of child labor for our producers.
We are aware that cases of child labor are repeatedly encountered in the textile industry. Through our long-standing partnership with the majority of our producers and our cooperation with Fair Wear, we are confident in our ability to minimize child labor as much as possible. However, if a case of child labor should arise, we will respond immediately and initiate concrete measures with Fair Wear. This would include, among other things, immediately removing the child from the production facility, VAUDE financing an education for the child and compensating parents for the loss of earnings. Fair Wear also advocates for openly addressing the issue rather than tabooing it, in order to initiate real improvements for the affected children. The aim is to raise awareness within the industry through openness and best practice examples, encouraging proactive engagement with the issue.
| GRI: | 408-1 |
