Value chain & ethical trade

Behind every step of our value chain, are the people making it happen.

Bringing together suppliers from all over the world requires complex systems and logistics to run as smoothly and efficiently as possible. But we never lose sight of the fact that real people and communities are at the heart of every factory, atelier and agency we contract.

In 2001, New Look launched our Ethical Aims, which outline our expectations on how to adhere to fair and safe working conditions. They are aligned to international labour standards and key ILO conventions, as well as the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the ETI Base Code. For over 20 years, these aims have guided New Look's engagement in ethical trade and we review these regularly to ensure that we are evolving with the needs of our supply chain.

c.500

tier 1 factories in our value chain, in 20 countries.

>200k

factory workers across our value chain, of which 54% are female and 46% are male

93%+

health and safety remediation rates for all International Accord inspected factories in Bangladesh.

43%

of sites in our value chain have a trade union, collective bargaining or worker committee in place.

Areas of focus

Positively impacting the people in our value chain requires is a continuous journey. Today, we focus on four fundamental areas in which we feel we can make the most meaningful difference.

Transparency
Human Rights Due Diligence
Fair Wages
Modern Slavery

We firmly believe that greater transparency is an industry-wide concern and we should all be striving to take greater accountability at every level.

Transparency

To create a thriving apparel and footwear sector for future generations, collaboration is key. We expect our suppliers to work with us, challenge us when it is required and to be responsible in their actions.

Regular mapping of our value chain helps us understand our impacts throughout the chain, while maintaining regular checks means we are in the strongest position to address any issues quickly and effectively. Biannually, we publish our tier 1 and beyond tier 1 information.

View factory list

Human rights due diligence (HRDD)

We aim to collaborate with our suppliers, factories and others to solve problems together rather than a top-down approach. We will continue to take steps to move from a compliance-led approach to one which is much more people centric. At its heart, HRDD has risk to people, rather than business, identifying and acting upon both potential and actual risks for workers in a business’s operations, value chains and services. HRDD is allowing us to work more proactively with our value chain, with opportunities to identify and mitigate, remediate and report.

Our wider strategy for due diligence and remediation is designed to develop, engage and support workers voices. We recognise the importance of freedom of association and the need for independent and democratic organisations of workers. We also work with different stakeholders, including other retailers, NGOs, trade unions, local experts and governments to ensure the best outcomes for all.

Supporting the International Accord, the ETI and other to advocate for workers' rights
Facilitating greater community engagement through our commitment to the FAB-L project in Leicester
One of the founding members of the Fast Forward Initiative, supporting UK manufacturing

Fair wages

Individuals earning enough to meet the needs of themselves and their families is more than a wage but also connection to the health and wellbeing of all workers. It is an issue that no company can address alone and where industry collaboration is essential. In line with our strategy, we have targets in place to support greater alignment of fair wages across our value chain.

Twenty global brands, including New Look and IndustriALL Global Union are part of ACT, an industry agreement to the pursuit of living wages for workers in textile and garment supply chains. It is focused on priority countries, with the ultimate intention of bringing about collective bargaining agreements to support workers being paid living wages as well as supporting brands on more responsible purchasing practices.

Our Modern Slavery Statement

Our latest Modern Slavery Statement includes an update on the business, our supply chain model, policies and governance. It outlines how we prioritise and manage risks and implement a due diligence approach, as well as our progress, steps taken and approach to continuous improvement.

Read our statement

Sourcing and supply chain

The right materials make all the difference

Responsible business

How we're doing more