Our values
Penneys is a subsidiary company within Associated British Foods (ABF), and as part of the ABF family we share its core values: taking care of our people, being good neighbours, and fostering ethical business relationships.
We also share the group’s overriding principles in relation to human rights, employment conditions, business practices and engagement with suppliers and stakeholders.
As an international business with a global supply chain and a growing retail base, we believe that business has a responsibility to act and trade ethically, and that by doing so, it can be a force for good.
Our business directly contributes to the employment of more than 700,000 workers across three continents and ensuring that their rights are respected is key to our continued growth.
Like most high street retailers, Penneys sources the majority of its products from countries overseas such as India, China, Bangladesh, Vietnam and Turkey. We have approximately 600 first-tier suppliers who produce goods to our specification and design.
We do not own the companies or factories that produce our goods, but we do have a responsibility to the workers in those factories, to our customers and shareholders, to ensure that our products are made in good working conditions.
In Practice
Our Code of Conduct sets out the core principles that suppliers and factories must follow to ensure products are made in good working conditions, and that the people making them are treated decently and paid a fair wage.
It is based upon the Ethical Trading Initiative Base Code , which is itself founded on the conventions of the International Labour Organisation and is an internationally recognised code of labour practice.
Working towards ethical and sustainable supply chains is often challenging and can only be achieved through a programme of continuous improvement, learning and assessment; one that encourages and fosters stakeholder engagement and dialogue.
Our programme consists of a range of inter-dependent tools including auditing; consultation and remediation; training and capacity building; partnerships and programmes; industry collaboration and responsible purchasing. We have learnt that no single approach or tool can provide the answers to issues which are often complex and multi-layered.
As an international brand with a global supply chain, we have a responsibility to act ethically and we embrace this responsibility as an opportunity to be a great force for good. Penneys is committed to providing the best possible value for our customers, but not at the expense of the people who make our products.