Supplier Code of Conduct At Staples Sweden we strive to work with suppliers who treat their workers with dignity and respect, adhere to applicable laws and regulations, and manufacture their products in an environmentally sustainable manner. Accordingly, we require each supplier to comply with, and to ensure third party suppliers and sub-contractors used by the supplier in connection with the manufacture of products comply with, the following Supplier Code of Conduct* (“our Code”): 1. Forced Labour: Suppliers shall not use or support forced labor, whether in the form of prison labour, indentured labour, bonded labour, or otherwise. Suppliers must allow employees to keep their own identification documents and to resign from their positions at any time. Suppliers shall not withhold salary, benefits, property or documents to force employees to continue work. Employees will be given the right to leave premises after their workday and the right to end employment. Suppliers will not use nor support human trafficking. 2. Child Labour: Suppliers shall not use nor support child labour. Suppliers shall not employ people younger than 15, or the minimum age for the completion of compulsory education, or the minimum age of employment required by law in the country of manufacture, whichever is highest. Suppliers must establish and maintain written policies and procedures for remediation of child labourers and shall provide adequate financial and other support to enable such children to attend school. 3. Harassment and Abuse: Suppliers shall treat every employee with respect and dignity, and shall not subject any employee to physical, sexual, psychological, verbal or other harassment or abuse. 4. Non-discrimination: Suppliers shall not subject any person to discrimination in employment (including hiring, salary, benefits, advancement, discipline, termination, or retirement) on the basis of gender, marital status, race, religion, age, disability, sexual orientation, nationality, political opinion, social or ethnic origin or any other condition that could give rise to discrimination. 5. Health and Safety: Suppliers shall provide a safe and healthy environment to prevent accidents and injury to health from occurring and comply with applicable laws and regulations. Suppliers shall identify, assess and minimise the impact of emergency situations by implementing emergency plans and response procedures. These plans and procedures must include the following: emergency exits are accessible and fully functional at all times, fire extinguishers must be visible, accessible, present and charged, evacuation plans must be posted and drills must be conducted annually. Supplier shall identify, evaluate and control exposure to hazards and ensure the use of any applicable personal protective equipment. 6. Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining: Suppliers shall recognise and respect the right of employees to freedom of association and collective bargaining and not interfere. Management is encouraged to engage in direct communication with employees and not discriminate against employees engaged in such activities 7. Wages and Benefits: Suppliers shall pay employees at least the minimum wage required by applicable laws and regulations, or the prevailing industry wage if no minimum wage law applies, and shall provide legally mandated benefits. 8. Hours of Work/ Compensation: Employees should not be required to work more than 48 hours a week, or the maximum number of work hours per week permitted in the applicable country of manufacture, whichever is less, except in extraordinary business circumstances and in agreement with the employee. Employees should be granted at least one day off in every seven-day period. In addition to their compensation for regular hours of work, Suppliers shall compensate employees for overtime hours at the applicable premium rate in their country. In countries that have not established premium overtime rates, Suppliers shall not pay employees less than their regular hourly rate for overtime hours. 9. Ethical Standards: Suppliers are held to the highest standards of integrity. Corruption, bribery and extortion are strictly prohibited. Suppliers must respect all intellectual property rights and applicable regulatory requirements of the countries from and to which they deliver. 10. Environmental Impact: Suppliers must meet all applicable environmental laws and regulations in their country to manage hazardous materials and all waste and emissions materials. In addition, Suppliers are encouraged to have environmental policies, and environmental management systems containing goals with targets that are focused on the continuous improvement of overall environmental performance. 11. Animal Welfare: For products containing animal-derived materials, suppliers shall not tolerate any cruelty or animal neglect. Suppliers will take in to consideration the five animal freedoms, as defined by The World Organisation for Animal Health. To ensure compliance with our Code, Staples Solutions shall have the right to monitor suppliers through audits by its own employees or a third party designee. If we determine that a particular supplier does not comply with our Code, we typically strive to work with the supplier to develop and implement an appropriate corrective action plan. Nevertheless, depending upon the circumstances, Staples may elect to end its relationship with a supplier at any time for failing to adhere to our Code. * Rev 5 Last Updated on March, 2019.
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