Respect for our people
Our focus on human rights is fueled by our commitment to work toward the betterment of people and our planet and be a force for good worldwide.
VF respects fundamental human rights. We foster inclusive and sustained economic growth and development that offers decent work opportunities to workers throughout our value chain.
Our commitment to respecting human rights applies everywhere we do business, at every level of our company. As we see it, our ability to mitigate social and environmental impacts within our value chain is an obligation. It’s what others expect of us, and what we expect of ourselves.
In 20FY20, VF conducted our first Human Rights Impact Assessment (HRIA), which sought to identify actual or potential human rights impacts that VF may cause, contribute to or be linked to through our direct operations, products, services or business relationships. Understanding where our business may impact rights holders – including VF associates, suppliers and supply chain workers – helps to inform our human rights strategy. That strategy in turn guides our assessment of VF’s ability to mitigate salient risks, while creating a road map for preventing and remediating potential impacts.
Since the initial assessment, we have conducted topic-specific HRIAs focused on raw material commodity sourcing (leather, wool, down, cotton and rubber), child rights and synthetic material sourcing (polyester and nylon). In 2023FY24, VF completed an updated value chain-wide HRIA to reassess our top salient human rights risks.
See below for more information.
Links
- VF strives to leverage the strength of its business to serve others. Read our 2020 Human Rights Report here.
- A comprehensive Human Rights Policy underpins our actions. Read it here.
- VF is committed to eradicating forced labor in global apparel supply chains. Read our statement on Forced Labor here.
- Everyone throughout our business has the right to be free from violence and harassment. Learn about our Commitment to Eradicate Gender-based Violence and Harassment.
- Our Code of Business Conduct guides the decisions we make and the actions we take. Read it here.
- All of our supplier factories must meet our clearly-stated Global Compliance Principles. Read them here.
- We stand against modern slavery. Read our Modern Slavery Act Disclosure Statement.
- VF is committed to respecting the rights of children, as enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and The Child Rights and Business Principles. Read our Child Rights Commitment here and our Child Rights Pledge here.
- VF believes every worker has a right to compensation for a regular work week that meets the worker and their family’s basic needs and provides some discretionary income. Read our Living Wage Statement here.