Tchibo Social and Environmental Code of Conduct (Tchibo SCoC)
for Business Partners (Products and Services)
Status: May 2014
As a globally sourcing company, we commit ourselves to the promotion and protection of human rights and the environment. Tchibo thereby acknowledges the principles of sustainable development of the 1992 Rio Declaration, the principles of the United Nations’Global Compact and the United Nations’ Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
As a standard requirement for doing business with Tchibo, we require our business partners (vendors, suppliers, their producers and subcontractors) to comply with the fundamental principles of this Code as well as with all national and international labour, social and environmental laws. They apply to all employees, regardless whether employed directly or indirectly by our business partners and regardless of the contractual basis of this employment, whether in the formal or the informal sector. They constitute the absolute minimum and not the maximum of protection for employees and the environment. Whenever the provision of national and international laws, specific industry standards, collective bargaining agreements and this Code address the same subject, the regulation which affords the greater protection for employees or the environment applies.
The fundamental social standards as set forth in this Code are based on ILO Conventions and the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights; they also refer to the SA8000 standard and the Ethical Trading Initiative Base Code; the environmental standards are guided by the Global Compact principles on environment.
1. Forced Labour
Employment is freely chosen. Business partners shall not employ any form of forced, bonded, slave or otherwise involuntary labour. Employees shall not be subject to any regulation which limits their personal freedom of movement. Employers shall not require their workers to lodge deposits or their identity papers with them. Workers are free to leave their employer after reasonable notice as mandated by law. The production of goods with the use of prison labour is strictly prohibited. ILO Conventions 29 and 105 apply.
2. Child Labour and Young Workers
There shall be no use of child labour. The age of admission to employment shall not be less than the age of completion of compulsory schooling and, in any case, not less than 15 years (or 14 where national law permits in accordance with ILO convention 138). In the event that children are found to be working in situations which fit the definition of child labour above, policies and written procedures for remediation of children found to be working shall be established and documented by the supplier company. Furthermore, the supplier company shall provide adequate financial and other support to enable such children to attend and remain in school until no longer a child.
Young workers are workers between the age of 15 18. The company may employ young workers, but where such young workers are subject to compulsory education laws, they may work only outside of school hours. Under no circumstances shall any young worker’s school, work, and transportation time exceed a combined total of 10 hours per day, and in no case shall young workers work more than 8 hours a day. Young workers shall not be employed at night or perform work which, by its nature or the circumstances in which it is carried out, is likely to harm their health, safety or morals. Young workers shall be given the opportunity to participate in education and training programmes.
National regulations for the protection of young employees shall be fulfilled. ILO Conventions 79, 138, 142, 182 and ILO Recommendation 146 apply.
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