Kohls factory inspection production code of conduct

General Principles
Business partners shall comply with all legal requirements relevant to their business activities.

Employment Standards
We only do business with business partners who treat their employees fairly and legally in terms of compensation, benefits and working conditions, and in particular must meet the following standards.

1) Forced labor: Business partners shall not employ forced labor, whether it is prison labor, prostitution labor or imprisonment labor, etc. Employees shall not work under coercion or any form of intimidation.

2) Child labor: Business partners shall not employ children under the age of fifteen. In some countries where the age for compulsory education is higher than fifteen, children younger than the age for completing compulsory education shall not be employed.

3) Discrimination: Business partners should make recruitment and post-employment decisions based on employees’ work abilities rather than on their personal characteristics or beliefs. Business partners should not discriminate in recruitment and employment based on race, ethnicity, gender, religion, age, disability, marital status, parenthood, membership in a worker organization, sexual orientation or political views.

4) Compensation and Benefits: Wages must meet the basic needs of employees and some reasonable savings and discretionary expenses. In any case, wages should be equal to or exceed the higher of the minimum wage or the prevailing wage in the same industry, and legal benefits should be provided. Wages must be paid directly to employees in cash or check, or in equivalent form. Wage-related information must be provided to employees in a form that they can understand. Advances and deductions from wages must be carefully monitored and must comply with legal requirements. For work beyond normal working hours, the overtime pay compensation that employees should receive must be calculated according to the overtime pay rate prescribed by the laws of the country where the production plant is located. If there are no relevant local laws, the overtime pay rate should be higher than their normal hourly wage.

5) Working hours: Except in special circumstances, employees shall not be required to work more than sixty hours per week, including overtime, or the lower of the prescribed hours under local law. Employees must be entitled to at least twenty-four consecutive hours of rest in every seven-day period. Employees must be entitled to paid vacation every year.

6) Freedom of association and collective bargaining: Business partners must recognize and respect the rights of employees to organize and bargain collectively according to their own choice. In countries where there are special legal restrictions on freedom of association and collective bargaining, business partners should not prevent employees from engaging in independent and free association and collective bargaining in other legal ways. In addition, business partners should establish a system to ensure good communication with employees.

7) Discipline: Employees shall be treated with dignity and respect. No employee shall be subjected to corporal punishment, sexual harassment, psychological or verbal harassment or harm.

Occupational Health and Safety
Business partners must provide a safe and hygienic working environment and promote occupational safety and health practices to prevent accidents or injuries caused by work. These include fire prevention, accident prevention and protection against exposure to toxic substances. Lighting, heating and ventilation systems must be adequate. Employees should have access to sanitary facilities at all times, which must be adequate and clean. Business partners should establish an occupational health and safety policy that should be clearly communicated to employees. If the employer provides dormitory facilities for employees, the same standards as above must be applied.

Environmental protection requirements
Business partners should continuously improve their environmental performance, which includes not only their own operations, but also the operations of their business partners, suppliers, and subcontractors. This includes integrating the principles of sustainable development into business decisions, making good use of natural resources, adopting some more environmentally friendly production technologies, and measures to prevent pollution. Design and develop products, materials, and production technologies based on the principles of sustainable development. Community Participation We support business partners who actively participate in helping to improve the environment of the countries and communities where our production plants are located.