New Balance Athletic Shoe, Inc.
Supplier Code of Conduct
The New Balance Mission is “To be Recognized as the World’s Leading Manufacturer of High Performance Footwear and Apparel.” We support this mission by conducting our internal and external relationships according to these Core Values: Teamwork, Total Customer Satisfaction, Integrity.
The Code of Conduct defines our minimum expectations. We expect our suppliers to ensure that no exploitative conditions or unsafe working conditions exist at the facilities where our merchandise is manufactured.
This Supplier Code of Conduct expresses the commitment of New Balance Athletic Shoe, Inc. to do business only with those manufacturers and suppliers that share its commitment to fair and safe labor practices.
Compliance with Local Laws
• All Standards set forth in this Code of Conduct are subject to compliance with applicable national and local laws. All vendors shall operate in full compliance with laws of their respective country of manufacture.
Child Labor
• No person shall be employed at an age younger than 16 (or 15 where the governing law allows such employment), or younger than the age for completing compulsory education if that age in the country of manufacture is greater than 16.
• All facilities are required to maintain official documentation allowing for verification of each worker’s date of birth.
• All facilities must be in compliance with all local regulations regarding the employment of young workers. These regulations shall include types of work, work schedules and labor intensity as applicable under local labor law.
Harassment or Abuse
• Workers shall be treated with respect and dignity. Workers shall not be subject to any physical, verbal, sexual or psychological harassment or abuse in connection with their employment.
• There shall be no corporal punishment.
• Behavior that is sexually coercive, threatening, abusive or exploitative shall not be permitted.
Health and Safety
• Employers shall provide a safe and sanitary working environment using OSHA standards as a benchmark, in order to avoid preventable work-related accidents and injuries.
Nondiscrimination
• All employment decisions must be made in a nondiscriminatory manner.
• Workers shall be employed, promoted and compensated based upon their ability to perform their job, rather than on the basis of gender, race, caste, sexual orientation, marital status, religious or cultural beliefs.
• There shall be no pre-employment or during-employment screening for pregnancy.
• There shall be no discrimination against workers based on political affiliation or union membership.
Wages and Benefits
• Employers shall pay workers for all work completed and shall pay at least the minimum wage required by law or the prevailing industry wage, consistent with the local area statistics, whichever is higher, and shall provide legally mandated benefits.
• There shall be no deductions of wages for disciplinary purposes.
• The employer shall not engage in false apprenticeship practices that are used to avoid payment of compensation.
Work Hours
• As part of normal business operations including those countries where domestic law does not limit work hours, suppliers shall not require an excess of a 60-hour workweek on a regularly scheduled basis.
• Workers shall be entitled to one full day off out of each seven-day week.
• Workers shall not be asked or required to take work home or off premises.
• All hours worked must be documented in writing and made available to New Balance staff, upon request.