In The Student uniform Industry - RJ McCarthy

Our three levels of audits:
We monitor our suppliers
through internal distance audits
We send firm representatives to visit
cut and sew operations overseas
We have engaged independent 3rd-parties
to perform targeted audits of our suppliers
Why it is important
What we do
3) Rating System
We developed a comprehensive three-tiered rating and point
system to audit our cut and sew factories. Our rating system
was developed in collaboration with Intertek, and ensures our
high standards are conveyed through it. The rating system
communicates our expectations about responsible
manufacturing to our suppliers, and acts as a benchmark for
year-over-year improvements.
Third-party auditor
Each item in our audits is assigned to one of three tiers – zero
tolerance, urgent remediation, or ongoing progress. We take
these matters seriously and will work with suppliers to ensure
that they are committed to comply with our requirements
prior to entering into a contract.
Zero Tolerance (ZT) items include child labour, harassment,
discrimination and other practices that are totally unacceptable. These
violations are usually illegal and fundamentally unethical. RJM takes
these matters very seriously and, prior to entering into a contract with a
Supplier, will do everything possible to work with the Supplier to ensure
that Suppliers do what is necessary to comply with RJMs requirements.
Urgent Remediation (UR) items include unfair discipline practices,
lack of employment benefits, certain health and safety concerns and
other practices that are intolerable over a reasonable time period.
Ongoing Progress (OP) items include keeping proper employment
records, ensuring rules and regulations are clearly posted and legible,
reconstructing exits to be more accessible, and other practices that,
although important, do not require immediate attention.
We plan to rigorously measure all our suppliers
according to this three-tiered system
These ratings illustrate our view of the severity and
time sensitivity of each item discussed
This will help both factories and auditors quickly
understand how we believe each item should be
handled
A point system has been devised to indicate the
importance of each item, the expectations RJM
holds of its suppliers, and to track improvement over
time
We plan to continuously upgrade and improve our
Code of Conduct over time
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