Environmental & Ethical Policy

Kukri is a global bespoke sportswear provider. Our Board of Directors are fully aware of the positive and negative impact our operations and business activities can have on the environment and on the lives of others. We are constantly striving for new ways in which to minimise any operations or activities that may be considered unethical or harmful to the environment. We proactively encourage the use of ethical and environmentally friendly technologies, systems, products and management techniques and promote the extensive credentials of working with Kukri to our business partners and customers.

Kukri commits specifically to…

1. Uphold Labour standards By Ensuring That At Kukri And All Supply Chain Partners

All employees will have free choice in employment

• There is no forced, bonded or involuntary prison labour at any supplier of Kukri.
• Workers are not required to lodge deposits or their identity papers with the employer, and are free to leave their employer after reasonable notice at any supplier of Kukri.

Freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining are respected

• Workers have the right to join or form trade unions of their own choosing and to bargain collectively.
• All partner employers must adopt an open attitude towards the legitimate activities of trade unions.
• Workers representatives are not discriminated against and have access to carry out their representative functions in the workplace.

Working conditions are always safe and hygienic

• A safe and hygienic working environment shall be provided, taking into account the prevailing knowledge of the sportswear industry and our specific hazards. Adequate steps shall be taken to prevent accidents and injury to health arising out of, associated with, or occurring in the course of work, by minimising, so far as is reasonably practicable, the causes of hazards inherent in the working environment.
• Workers shall receive regular and recorded health and safety training, and such training shall be repeated for new or reassigned workers.
• Access to clean toilet facilities and clean water, and, if appropriate, sanitary facilities for food storage shall be provided.
• Accommodation, where provided, shall be a minimum standard of clean, safe, to meet the basic needs of the workers.
• Kukri shall assign responsibility for health and safety to a senior management representative at each of our suppliers.

Child labour shall not be used

• There shall be no recruitment of child labour.
• Any instances where we find child labour at a Kukri supplier, which to date has never happened, then we are committed to participate in, and contribute to, policies and programmes that provide for the transition of that child to enable her/him to attend and remain in quality education until no longer a child.
• Children and young people under 18-years of age shall not be employed at night or in hazardous conditions.
• These policies and procedures shall conform to the provisions of the relevant ILO standards.

Living wages are paid

• Wages and benefits paid for a standard working week meet, at a minimum, national legal standards or industry benchmarks, whichever is higher. In any event wages should always be high enough to meet basic needs and to provide some discretionary income.
• All workers shall be provided with written and understandable information about their employment conditions in respect to wages before they enter employment, and about the particulars of their wages for the pay period concerned each time that they are paid.
• Deductions from wages as a disciplinary measure shall not be permitted, nor shall any deductions from wages not provided for by national law be permitted without the express and informed permission of the worker concerned. All disciplinary measures should be recorded.

Working hours are not excessive

• Working hours comply with national laws and benchmark industry standards, whichever affords greater protection.
• In any event, workers shall not on a regular basis be required to work in excess of 48-hours per week, and on average shall be provided with at least one day off for every 7-day period. Overtime shall be voluntary, shall not exceed 12-hours per week, shall not be demanded on a regular basis and shall always be compensated at a premium rate.

No discrimination is practised

• There is no discrimination in hiring, compensation, access to training, promotion, termination or retirement based on race, caste, national origin, religion, age, disability, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, union membership or political affiliation.

Regular employment is provided

• To every extent possible work performed must be on the basis of a recognised employment relationship established through national law and practice.
• Obligations to employees under labour or social security laws and regulations arising from the regular employment relationship shall not be avoided through the use of labour-only contracting, sub-contracting or home-working arrangements, or through apprenticeship schemes where there is no real intent to impart skills or provide regular employment, nor shall any such obligations be avoided through the excessive use of fixed-term contracts of employment.

No harsh or inhumane treatment is allowed

• Physical abuse or discipline, the threat of physical abuse, sexual or other harassment and verbal abuse or other forms of intimidation shall be prohibited.

Continuous improvement

• Kukri will try to achieve continual improvement in these workplace and employment standards through partnership with its suppliers. Suppliers should aim to exceed these defined standards, which are intended as the minimum acceptable.

2. Environmental standards

Kukri sees the frightening change to our environment as the number one challenge facing all leaders and organisations today, as such we are committed to doing all we can to minimise our impact on the environment by…

Environmental policy and review

• Kukri has an environmental policy.
• The Group Managing Director is designated as being responsible for implementing the policy and championing environmental issues.
• There is a regular environmental policy review process in place that aims to continually improve environmental performance.

Kukri is committed to leading the bespoke sportswear industry in minimising the impact of its activities on the environment.

The key points of its strategy to achieve this are:

• Minimise waste by evaluating operations and ensuring they are as efficient as possible.
• Minimise toxic emissions through the selection and use of its fleet and the source of its power requirement.
• Actively promote recycling both internally and amongst its customers and suppliers.
• Source and promote a product range to minimise the environmental impact of both production and distribution.
• Meet or exceed all the environmental legislation that relates to Kukri around the world.
• Use an accredited program to offset the greenhouse gas emissions generated by our activities.

Waste management

• There is a culture of reducing physical waste wherever practically possible.
• Waste items are reused or recycled in preference to disposal.
• Effective controls of ground, air and water pollution are adopted.
• For all polluting materials, emergency response plans are in place.

Improving efficiency

• There is a culture of reducing resource consumption wherever practically possible.
• Baselines are established for the consumption of water, electricity and business miles.
• There are regular reviews of resource consumption data to monitor usage.
• Where practically possible, investment is made in water and energy efficient technology.

Green procurement

• Recycled products are preferentially purchased wherever possible.
• Renewable energy is supported where practically possible.

Environmental impacts

• All potentially negative impacts on the environment caused by the day-to-day practices of the company have been identified.
• There is a regularly reviewed management system that aims to reduce any significant negative impacts on the environment.

3. Ethical standards

At the very core of the Kukri brand is the need for integrity so we believe passionately in maintaining sound ethics.

Ethical policy

Kukri has an ethical policy that includes the minimum standards expected of suppliers.

Ethical statement

Kukri’s overall ethical approach to business is based on the simple principle that we will strive to conduct all our dealings with fairness, integrity and professionalism.

Standards of corporate behaviour

Kukri takes its responsibilities seriously and this is demonstrated by our business culture, relations with shareholders and our relations with suppliers and sub-contractors.

Standards of management and operational behaviour environmental responsibility

Kukri takes an informed and proactive approach to environmental management. We see the improvement of operational environmental management as a continuing process and will strive to improve our management of energy, pollution, resources and waste issues on an ongoing basis. We are sensitive to stakeholder expectations with regards to the environmental effects of our operations. We aim to predict and move ahead of expectations and trends, therefore providing greater confidence in and effectiveness for our environmental management. Kukri has received advice from leading environmentalist Mike Berners Lee on reducing our carbon footprint which we are following.

Health, safety and welfare

Kukri takes all reasonable, practicable steps to ensure the health, safety and welfare at work of its employees, temporary staff, and visitors to its premises. It is recognised that the control of health and safety issues is a function of management with each level accountable to the one above and responsible for the one below. Kukri will ensure that all employees can be trained appropriately for the level of responsibility they have.

Kukri’s full Health and Safety guidance is available to all staff from Susan Fucile and can also be found on the employee shared network drive. Kukri has a business continuity plan in place to ensure that staff can be accounted for in the event of an emergency and to protect the operation of the company in the event of a major disruption.

Employment policies

Kukri is compliant with all UK and European employment law and recognises any new laws which are introduced. We will communicate details of any relevant new legislation to our staff at the earliest opportunity. The employment policies of Kukri embody the principles of equal opportunity and it is our commitment that no member of staff or job applicant will be treated less favourably on the grounds of their sex, marital or parental status, race, origin, nationality, religion, disability, age, sexual orientation, or gender reassignment. The Company recognises the value of employee involvement and consults and informs wherever possible.

Standards of individual behaviour

Kukri’s success depends on the professionalism of all of its employees – in their external dealings and in how they conduct themselves in relation to other employees.

Our values

As individuals and a team, the values we have agreed are:

• Respecting each other and our customers
• Being Responsible
• Being Can Do
• Being Fair

General personal conduct

We rely on our employees to observe standards in all conduct of company business:

• to work free from the effects of alcohol;
• not to consume, possess or sell any illegal substances or other materials at work;
• to present themselves in a manner which invites respect, and is appropriate;
• not to behave in any way which might bring Kukri into disrepute.

Behaviour towards colleagues

The working culture at Kukri must support the opportunity for all employees to make the fullest contribution they can.

This requires everyone within Kukri to work alongside others in a way that reflects integrity, honesty, trust, fairness, mutual respect, concern for others and maturity.

We can only give our best if we are an organisation that demonstrates diversity, and if we make an effort to understand and get on well with our colleagues.

We work in a shared environment and we rely on each other to keep our own space and shared areas clean and tidy.

Working with Kukri

• Everything we do must be focused on delivering the highest quality and service to our stakeholders,
• We will consider that a complaint represents an opportunity for improvement and we will deal with each one positively, openly and in reasonable time;
• We will offer equal levels of service to our customers, and partiality or discrimination of any kind is unacceptable. Should a member of staff feel that they may have a conflict of interest, or hold personal views that may affect their work they must draw this to the attention of their line manager and discuss the most appropriate course of action;
• We will respect the contractual confidentiality between ourselves and our customers.

Financial procedures

The principles of integrity and honesty should apply to all financial dealings and transactions.

• Any illegal or unethical financial practices are unacceptable within Kukri
• Expenses claims must be accurate and in line with expenses policy
• Fraud and theft are considered to be gross misconduct.

Preventing crime

We all share responsibility for preventing crime at work. If an individual becomes aware that a crime is planned or may have been committed, it is that person’s responsibility to advise the appropriate authority. If in doubt, speak to your line manager first. Never put your own safety at risk. As an employer, Kukri will always comply with its statutory obligations. Where the policies and principles expressed in this document exceed the statutory requirement the company can, in its absolute discretion, vary, alter or cease any of these policies at any time giving due notice. The policies and principles detailed in this document are non-contractual.

Ethical procurement

Fairly traded products are preferentially purchased wherever possible

Community relations

• Community groups living around company premises enjoy good relations with Kukri.
• Where possible, Kukri will proactively support charities particularly those with a sporting connection.

Business principles

• Kukri will be genuinely socially responsible at all times.
• Kukri will be honest and trustworthy with its staff, neighbours and customers.
• Kukri will never violate anyone’s human rights.