C&A is committed to meet own - and stakeholders - expectation about the circumstances in which C&A merchandise is made.
There is no doubt that in global markets we face dilemmas.
Production cannot always be monitored because the supply markets are complex. Working standards may be not as we expect them to be and the possibilities to influence are sometimes limited. We also realise that some people may have different points of view how to handle this.
This is legitimate because there will never be only one way. However, we believe that policy applied is honest and fair - and we willing to listen to the views of others who may have different opinions.

www.socam.org/fileadmin/user_upload/pdf/english.pdfHistory
C&A has historically taken a positive stand on ethical sourcing and we require that our suppliers do the same.
We recognised the need to create defined benchmarks, and in 1995 we initiated the "C&A Code of Conduct for the Supply of Merchandise". This is an integral part of our "General Delivery Instructions" and is binding for every buying contract signed with suppliers world-wide.
It is a fundamental basis, created to help us phrase, communicate and enforce our policy and view on ethical sourcing standards.

Monitoring
Since 1995 C&A has been pursuing a course of including ethical standards in daily management processes , a contribution towards maintaining our concept. For this reason, we have engaged SOCAM (Service Organisation for Compliance Audit Management) who's task is to monitor compliance with contractual terms covering ethical workplace standards. This work is carried out on behalf of C&A and based on the "C&A Code of Conduct for the Supply of Merchandise".

For the first time detailed information on the location of every single production unit used by suppliers was required. Not only their own locations but also those of sub-suppliers intended to be used for C&A production. We want SOCAM to follow our merchandise down to the initial level of production and this is an effective and pragmatic way.
As it however also is to be safeguarded that information provided to SOCAM will only used for monitoring and auditing purposes it was - and still is - vital to ensure the operational independence of SOCAM from C&A, and to guarantee the absolute confidentiality of submitted data.

Step by step
The C&A Code of Conduct is intentionally not a theoretical declaration - but a document to practically work with on a daily basis. It contains strict rules and standards which suppliers are able to meet and develop in their common business. On a step by step approach - and the qualification of our supply partners to meet higher standards. But the code also gives us the possibility of legal sanctions whenever our expectations are not met, not taken seriously, or abused.
Experience proves that this concept is successfully working.
We see a lot of progress, but each day brings new challenges because supplier relationships and supply markets are not static but constantly changing. Furthermore the public debate on globalisation and ethical sourcing has increased significantly so awareness levels on these topics has risen. C&A is participating in this debate and we are willing to share experiences and take advice and contributions from this process.

In the light of practical experience of operating our code, and as social conditions and priorities alter over time, the code will be adapted to reflect different circumstances. if you would like to view the Code of Conduct in other languages, you will find it on the C&A and SOCAM websites.