Company profile: Bestseller
Headquarters: Brande
Country: Denmark
Founded in: 1975
Total points of sale in Europe: 2900
Owned by: Troels Holch Povlsen & Anders Holch Povlsen
Name of CEO: Anders Holch Povlsen
Product description: A complete range of clothing, shoes and accessories for men, women and children (0 – 16). Brand names: Vera Moda, Jack&Jones, Only, Selected Femme/Homme, Name It (former Exit), Outfitters Nation, Object, Pieces, Mamaliscious.
Producer countries: Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China , India, Korea, South Korea , Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam, Albania, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Macedonia, Montenegro, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Ukraine
General remarks: n.a.
Bestseller
Tina Larsen
Bestseller A/S Fredskovvej DK-7330 Brande
contact(at)bestseller.com
Comments and proposals for action
Bestseller argues that as a private company they do not find it relevant to publicly disclose the salary of our top management. Furthermore they do not publish a sustainability report, because their main stakeholders are the consumers and they do not read CSR reports.
Bestseller is expanding the information on the webpage, educating the shop staff and offering consumers information resources. More information can be obtained using the e-mail address.
CCC promotes active transparency, which means much more public information about supply chains, an available sustainability report etc. An option to ask specific questions through an e-mail contact is not good enough.
Bestseller agrees that it is correct that their CoC does not specifically mention the special protection of young workers and they appreciate this being pointed out to them. They would however like to emphasize that in their main producer countries (e.g. China and Bangladesh), local legislation, for instance on overtime and medical checks, covers these issues. They ensure that they are closely monitored during factory audits.
CCC points out the fact that unfortunately the implementation and enforcement of labour law is heavily flawed in many producing countries (e.g China and Bangladesh)
Bestseller has taken part in establishing the Danish Ethical Trading Initiative. They participated in the working group and have now become a member of the initiative. They are furthermore represented on the board of the Initiative.
Bestseller has warmly welcomed this initiative in Denmark:”… as we believe it will help us as well as other companies in raising the standard of our work. We also believe that it will contribute to a more nuanced public perception of our activities to , which we also believe is really necessary to avoid that decisions in companies are made upon black and white news headlines.”
The following evaluation of the company’s performance in terms of transparency, code implementation and monitoring of labour standards is based on Bestseller’s response to the CCC questionnaire and on additional research conducted by the CCC in 2007. In the section “Recent developments” you can find additional information gathered after 2007.
Transparency
Bestseller has responded comprehensively to the CCCquestionnaire and is providing the CCC with some of the required documents. There is no evidence that the company works with civil society on issues of corporate social responsibility. Some information is disclosed about.turnover and profits. The salaries of the top management are not known. The information given about producer countries and the structure of the company’s supply chain is not comprehensive. A complete list of suppliers was given to the CCC. There is no comprehensive sustainability report available.
Formal commitment to labour standards
Bestseller has adopted a code of conduct that refers to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and requires compliance with all relevant local labour laws. The code also indicates that where local and international standards are at variance the higher standard should prevail. The company is formally committed to respecting minimum social and labour standards and refers to ILO core conventions. These include the right to organize and to bargain collectively and prohibit child labour, discrimination and forced labour.
Bestseller’s code of conduct includes measures to implement the code and to monitor labour conditions in the facilities used. Its code calls for a safe and hygienic environment for the workers who produce its goods. The company explicitly requires that all workers receive a regular employment contract. Bestseller has developed a policy in relation to child labour which includes transitional measures in the interest of the child and her/his family where child labour is found.
Beyond the labour standards mentioned above, the company code is not precise enough on some specific issues. It does not state its commitment in relation to*:
- special provisions (e.g. education, no night work) for workers under 18 years of age;
- specific steps, in countries where freedom of association and collective bargaining are restricted by law, to encourage decent working conditions;
- prohibiting the retention by employers of security deposits or identity papers;
- workers’ right to a living wage, ie a wage for regular working hours that meets the basic needs of workers and their families and provides some discretionary income ;
- prohibiting arbitrary penalties in case of sickness or pregnancy;
Code implementation and purchasing practices
Bestseller did not indicate the steps it is taking to effectively implement minimal labour standards in its supply chain. Its code of conduct is translated into some of the languages of the countries the company is sourcing from and sent with every order to suppliers. (deleted from database). The company provides no evidence that it has experience in promoting collective bargaining. Bestseller agrees to pay a living wage but does not document its calculations. The company documents risk management that defines regions from where no suppliers are allowed or accepted (such as Burma). According to the information available, some
production sites are in countries or zones where freedom of association is not guaranteed by law. There are no measures that show how to improve time planning and to avoid overtime work.
Monitoring and Verification
Bestseller is co-founder and a member of the Danish Ethical Trading Initiative, a multi stakeholder initiative. The company is represented on the board of the Initiative.
Bestseller provides some of the results of factory audits but no information about verification activities. The company does not disclose general targets for future monitoring activities..
No sustainability report is available.
Violations of labour rights and public conflicts
The company has reacted positively and immediately to the CCC and the reporting organisation after being informed about the violation. The violations have been corrected and there are no outstanding issues.
Recent developments
n.a.