Fair Play

Nobody works for us under duress. Forced labour, bonded labour, prison labour. None of it. Full stop.

• Workers can leave after giving reasonable notice. No locks on the door.
• No supplier can hold a worker's ID, passport, or personal documents.
• Workers never pay to get a job. Recruitment fees are on the employer, not the worker.

Workers have the right to organise. We do not just tolerate that. We expect our suppliers to support it.

• Every worker can join or form a trade union. No exceptions, no workarounds.
• Union members are treated the same as everyone else. Full stop.
• Suppliers must engage openly with union activity. Not around it.
• Where local law blocks these rights, suppliers must find alternative ways to protect them.

Every factory that makes a Boldstance product has to be somewhere a person can work safely. That is not a high bar. It is the minimum.

• Industry-specific hazards must be identified and properly controlled.
• Suppliers take active steps to prevent accidents. Not just respond to them.
• Safety training is mandatory, recorded, and repeated. Not a one-off induction.
• Clean toilets and drinking water. Always.
• Where housing is provided, it has to be genuinely liveable. Not just legal.
• A named senior person is responsible for health and safety at every site.

No child works in our supply chain. This is the one policy with no nuance attached to it.

• Minimum age is 15, or the age of completing compulsory schooling, whichever is higher.
• Young workers aged 15–18 don't work nights or in hazardous roles.
• Young workers have guaranteed access to education alongside any employment.

A living wage is not the legal minimum. It is enough to actually live on. Cover the basics, save a little, and not be one bad week away from crisis.

• Pay meets or exceeds the national legal standard or industry benchmark, whichever is higher.
• Workers get written pay terms before they start. In a language they understand.
• Every payslip is itemised. Workers always know what they're being paid and why.
• Docking pay as punishment is not permitted. Ever.
• Any wage deductions outside of law require the worker's written consent.
• Every disciplinary action is documented.

Long hours do not mean better work. They mean tired people making mistakes. We want neither.

• Regular hours don't exceed 48 per week.
• Every worker gets at least one full day off every seven days.
• Overtime is voluntary. Nobody is pressured or penalised for refusing it.
• Overtime is capped at 12 hours per week and cannot become the norm.

Hiring, pay, training, promotion. Every decision is based on what someone can do, not who they are.

• Protected characteristics: race, caste, national origin, religion, age, disability, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, union membership, political affiliation.
• Decisions are made on merit. That's it.
• Harassment of any kind is grounds for termination of the supplier relationship if needed.

We do not want a supply chain built on gig workers and short-term contracts. Stability makes better products.

• Suppliers can't use sub-contracting or home working arrangements to avoid giving workers proper employment status.
• Apprenticeships are for learning. Not cheap labour.
• Fixed-term contracts are the exception, not the model.

No physical punishment. No threats. No intimidation. No shouting. Workers are treated like adults who matter.

• Every worker is treated with basic dignity. That's not optional.
• Grievance processes are accessible, confidential, and free from any threat of retaliation.
• Complaints are investigated properly. By someone who is not the problem.

We are not going to claim we have solved this. But we are making decisions at every stage with the environment in the room.

• Supply chain environmental impact is assessed before orders are placed. Not after.
• End of life is considered at the product design stage, not just at the recycling bin.
• Packaging impact in manufacturing, storage, and shipping is factored into every spec.
• Damaged, returned, and sample stock is disposed of responsibly. No landfill shortcuts.
• Chemical or hazardous waste gets specialist handling. Always.
• Energy efficiency is a requirement, not a preference.