Transparency in Supply Chain

What We Stand For

Beldton expects its processing plants, manufacturers, vendors or agents (“suppliers”) to act responsibly in all respects and to do their utmost to ensure that no oppressive, exploitative or unlawful conditions exist at their production lines’ work environments. We oblige suppliers to act in accordance with all relevant laws and regulations, as well as the standards set out in Beldton’s Supplier Code of Conduct (“the Code”). Where local or industry practices contrast from the requirements of the Code, the higher standard applies.

Supplier Code of Conduct

All industrial facilities, manufacturers, vendors or agents that produce goods and/or provide services for Beldton, or any local affiliate, are guided by the Code, helping to ensure compliance with applicable local and federal laws and regulations, as well as alignment with our internal standards regarding product safety and quality, ecological performance and human rights. We utilize the Code to promote best practices and improvement throughout facilities where Beldton products are manufactured.

Key topics covered in the Code include:

  • Local laws and regulations
  • Child labor
  • Forced labor
  • Working hours
  • Fair wages and benefits
  • Monitoring and compliance
  • Health and safety
  • Environmental management


Beldton is committed to reasonable labor practices in our supply chain and our actions in these areas are as follows:

Verification of Product Supply Chain

Beldton conducts audits on “in scope” suppliers that produce finished goods for Beldton and/or product/components. Beldton verifies these suppliers through site visits to gauge suppliers’ compliance with our Supplier Code of Conduct, which precludes the utilization of child labor and specifies that “suppliers will not use forced labor, whether prison, bonded, indentured or otherwise and will not participate in or support trafficking in human beings.”

Supplier Audits

Auditing suppliers is a key component of managing our supply chain and moving in the direction of adherence to our standards outlined in the Code. The audit is a fact-finding process intended to help our suppliers distinguish areas within a factory’s operations that could be enhanced to ensure compliance with country specific legal requirements and the Code. Audits are both announced and semi-announced (with a one-week audit window). The majority of audits are conducted through a third-party agency with incidental use of internal Beldton delegates.

Audits review the supplier’s policies, methods and record retention; labor and child labor policies and records; wage and benefits; work environment, including health and safety; environmental impacts and compliance with ecological regulations; and the correspondence of the Code to all administration and representatives.

Certification

Beldton requires our suppliers to maintain records to substantiate that all materials it supplies are produced in compliance with the anti-slavery and human trafficking laws of the country or countries in which they operate. Such records may incorporate written policies and procedures that ensure adherence to all components of the Code, and in addition personnel files for every worker, including proof of age, executed employment contract (where necessary by law), and a true and precise record of hours and wages.

Internal Accountability

Beldton maintains and enforces internal responsibility procedures for employees and suppliers r with respect to organization benchmarks in slavery and human trafficking. Beldton particularly expresses the company’s support and compliance with laws and regulations prohibiting forced, compulsory, and child labor. All Beldton associates globally receive training in compliance with the law and the Code of Conduct. Beldton does not allow violations of the law or the Code of Conduct and will take immediate action to prevent violations.

Training

We continue to progress along a journey to raise awareness and educate Beldton Associates and suppliers about the Supplier Code of Conduct. Beldton has a global e-learning module for supply chain Associates and external suppliers to improve tracking of training completion.