Ethical Business Policy

‘Jute an Eco Friendly alternative for a Sustainable Future’ believes that the manufacture of our product should contribute to the social welfare and empowerment of workers. We have therefore created and implemented a set of objectives, which ensure that in bringing a quality product to the market, the principle of ethical sourcing is adopted throughout.

Our objectives are:
1. To create a friendly and enabling working environment
2. To encourage and promote employees participation and responsibility, increasing their skills and capabilities through training.
3. To practice and encourage open communication throughout the company.
4. To ensure that a transparent and effective grievance procedure is in place.
5. To ensure compliance with labor laws and standards.
6. To ensure that workers are free from discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, age, political opinion, disability, national extraction or social origin.
7. To ensure that workers do not suffer bullying or harassment in the workplace.
8. To ensure that workers are not discriminated against for using any grievance procedure.
9. To ensure that forced labor, including bonded or involuntary prison labor does not occur.
10. To ensure that child labor does not occur.
11. To ensure that working does not jeopardize the educational, physical or social development of a young person.
12. To ensure that the company and key suppliers must pay wages in line with or exceeding national laws and agreements on minimum wages or the regional average.
13. To ensure that workers are not required to work in excess of 48 hours per week on a regular basis and that they should have at least 24 consecutive hours of rest every 7 days, unless exceptional circumstances apply.
14. To ensure that the company and key suppliers must give workers holiday, sick and maternity leave in line with or exceeding national laws.
15. To ensure that work processes, workplaces, machinery and equipment on the production site are as safe as possible and any inherent risk to health is minimized by adequate control, enforced by a Health and Safety policy.
16. To ensure that the company’s social responsibilities do not just lay within the business activities but support environmental and infrastructure projects of the local and regional authorities that improve the living conditions of the workers.

These objectives will be achieved through the following means:

1. Corporate social responsibility is an integral part of our Mission Statement and is assured through the following methods:
   • The Company Director share the aims and values of ethical manufacturing, having personally written the Company Mission Statement, which pledges that our business success is not compromised in any way by practices that harm the environment or disempower others.
   • Senior management have incorporated the ethical sourcing concept into the ‘Jute an Eco Friendly alternative for a Sustainable Future’ Business Plan.
   • Management applies ethical production principles to its daily activities and procedures.
   • In order to ensure that ethical works standards are implemented, ‘Jute an Eco Friendly alternative for a Sustainable Future’ has assigned a person responsible for ethical works.
2. Ethics Champion.
   • The Ethics Champion will act as a liaison between workers, suppliers and managers regarding ethical matters.
   • The Ethics Champion will ensure the development of the company’s business plan meet the ethical sourcing requirements.
   • The Ethics Champion will ensure that key, product suppliers are signed up to the ‘Jute an Eco Friendly alternative for a Sustainable Future’ Ethical Business Policy.
   • The Ethics Champion co-ordinates with key, product suppliers to ensure that the Ethical Business Policy is being implemented properly.
3. ‘Jute an Eco Friendly alternative for a Sustainable Future’ has taken all reasonable measures to inform all levels of the company of their ethical production objectives.
4. Management allocates time during regular working hours and provides other resources that are necessary for or conducive to the successful implementation of ethical sourcing.
5. Management recognize and allows the right of all workers to establish and join workers’ organisations of their own choosing and to collectively negotiate their working conditions.
6. Management agrees to regularly assess the environmental impacts of its operations, to develop plans designed to mitigate those impacts and to monitor the implementation of those plans.
7. Management agrees to develop a viable and sustainable plan that supports the well-being of its workers.