At M&Co we always strive to do business in a way that upholds our beliefs. This is to source products with integrity, showing respect for everyone we deal with and the environment. We fully understand the responsibility we have for the workers in our supply chain and as such ensure that all suppliers are aware of our ethical requirements and uphold similar values.

We are members of the Ethical Trading Initiative and expect all our suppliers as a minimum to work to the standards of the ETI base code which is set out below.

• Employment is freely chosen by all employees

• Respect freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining

• Have safe and hygienic working conditions

• Do not use child labour

• Pay a living wage

• Do not work excessive hours

• Do not discriminate

• Provide regular employment

• Do not allow harsh or inhumane treatment of workers

As a business we source globally from more than 20 countries and try hard to ensure that we understand the challenges faced by works in these countries.

With this in mind we developed an ethical programme which focuses on: - supporting our suppliers to comply with our ethical standards - driving continuous improvement through capacity building and worker projects - working with others to tackle the broader more deep-rooted issues in our supply chain

We regularly review our approach to managing ethical trade to keep up with industry best practice and are constantly looking at new ways to support our suppliers in this. We understand that when people are treated with respect, work in decent conditions and earn fair rates of pay, both they and the companies they work for benefit. Ultimately our customers benefit too through better quality, better value and peace of mind.

We also take the issue of animal cruelty very seriously, and will not knowingly purchase any raw materials that have been obtained through cruel or illegal methods. As well as this we do not sell any products made of real fur.

We have banned the practice of sandblasting in our supply chain. This was a method of giving denim a worn appearance, and involved firing sand at the garments. The consequences to the workers’ health were severe if the correct safety equipment were not used, and resulted in severe lung disease and often death.

We are aware of the issue of forced cotton picking in Uzbekistan and in no way condone this, as a business we do not knowingly buy cotton harvested in this way and have asked all of our suppliers to ensure they too avoid Uzbek cotton.

We don’t claim to have answers to all ethical issues that arise but we are fully committed to working with our suppliers and other stakeholders to drive continuous improvement in our supply chain.