Fellowes is pleased to share its due diligence to mitigate the risk of slavery and human trafficking in its supply chain, which supports the California Supply Chain Transparency Act.
Fellowes, Inc. endeavors to operate its businesses globally on the highest ethical plane and in compliance with all of the laws of the locations that it does business. In that regard, Fellowes has adopted a Code of Ethics (www.fellowes.com/ethics) which requires compliance with all applicable laws, including laws relating to employment.
Fellowes specifically addresses the risk of slavery and human trafficking in all factories that manufacture Fellowes products, whether those factories are under direct operational control or are independent third party suppliers.
In the factories where Fellowes has direct operational control, Fellowes employees are trained in and required to adhere to the Fellowes Code of Ethics. At these locations, business is conducted in accordance with Fellowes Code Ethics and subject to internal audit procedures. All candidates for employment are required to present their personal Identity Card (bearing the date of birth on the ID card) issued by the government department and checked by the HR hiring specialist prior to being hired. These factories are regularly inspected by Fellowes Global leadership team.
With respect to third party suppliers, our original equipment manufacturers (OEM) agreement and Supplier code of conduct specifies that Suppliers will not use forced, indentured or bonded labor. Suppliers failing to meet our terms of the contract would be in breach of these agreements, making them subject to termination. To ensure the OEM Suppliers are meeting these standards, periodic audits are conducted. These audits are conducted by third party audit firms representing large retail customers and/or by the Fellowes China team based in Dongguan, China. As of the date of this disclosure, neither Fellowes nor the independent auditors have found any evidence of forced labor or human trafficking in the Fellowes supply chain.