GAP factory inspection
一、Introduction to GAP Company Background
GAP Company Background Introduction: Established in 1969, GAP Company is the world's largest clothing retailer. The products produced by GAP include many age groups, and in addition to excellent quality, their prices are also affordable. Almost every consumer has the ability to purchase, creating a continuous expansion of GAP company and gradually sweeping the clothing market across the United States and even the world.
GAP was born in the United States and has become a fashion choice for American teenagers. GAP brings people a relaxed atmosphere, allowing unrestrained American youth to fully enjoy a natural and comfortable life. In 1969, the founder of GAP, Donald Fisher, was in a fashion store in California, USA, selecting jeans that suited him. But I couldn't find a suitable one to choose from. Driven by this driving force,
Danglao Fisher created this historic American brand - GAP. The first store of GAP used jeans and audio tapes sold side by side, but the results were not ideal. Many people are only interested in audio tapes, and as for jeans, due to their wear resistance and durability, people will coincidentally choose Levis, a well-known denim brand tycoon at the time. So, nearly 4 tons of GAP jeans can only be sold at purchase price. Until the opening of GAP's second store, Lao Fisher shifted his focus to young people, emphasizing a youthful shopping atmosphere. The products sold only include clothing, such as round necked T-shirts, short and dry pure cotton tops, jeans, etc. This new sales method quickly made GAP famous in the United States.
In the 1980s and 1990s, GAP developed rapidly, with its series of brands such as GAP, OldNavy, and Gapkid being launched one after another, occupying the US leisure brand market in the shortest possible time and gaining recognition from both the US and overseas. The most classic design of GAP is still the jeans series that thrived despite setbacks when establishing the GAP brand. The feeling of not being bound has become a benchmark pursued by the younger generation around the world.
二、GAP Code of Conduct
This code applies to all factories that produce GAP products, as well as GAP affiliates, subsidiaries, or agents.
Although GAP is aware that factories in different countries have different legal requirements and cultural backgrounds, this code sets out the basic requirements that all factories that do business with GAP must comply with. This code is also the basis for GAP to continuously evaluate the employment conditions and environmental standards of factories.
1. General principles
Factories that produce GAP products should comply with all relevant laws and regulations in their respective countries.
A) The factory must comply with all relevant laws, regulations, and laws, including labor laws, worker health and safety laws, and environmental protection laws.
B) Whether with or without prior notice, the factory should allow Gap and its representatives or agents to enter its production facilities without restrictions, and GAP and its representatives or agents should have access to all relevant records.
2. Environment
The factory must comply with all relevant environmental laws and regulations. If the requirements of local laws and regulations are more lenient than those of GAP, factories are encouraged to comply with the provisions of this code.
A) The factory should establish an environmental management system or plan
B) Factories should establish effective mechanisms to ensure that local government departments are notified in the event of unexpected emissions, leaks, or any other environmental emergencies.
3. Discrimination
Factories should prioritize employment based on individual work abilities rather than personal characteristics or beliefs.
A) During the recruitment process, employment shall not be based on race, skin color, gender, nationality, age, birth or marital status.
B) Wages and benefits shall not be treated differently based on race, skin color, gender, nationality, age, birth or marital status.
4. Forced labor
The factory shall not use any form of prison labor, contract labor, or forced labor.
A) The factory does not use any form of involuntary labor, including prison labor, debt labor, or government forced labor.
B) If recruiting foreign workers, the factory should pay commission to the intermediary and must not leave the workers working in the factory against their wishes.
5. Child labor
The workers used in the factory must reach the local legal minimum working age or be at least 14 years old (whichever is higher). The factory must comply with other relevant legal regulations passed. Under the premise of meeting the minimum working age of GAP and the legal working age in the country where GAP is located, GAP encourages factories to provide legal apprenticeship programs to provide education opportunities for workers.
A) Each worker must be over 14 years old and meet the minimum working age requirements of their country.
B) The factory must comply with all legal requirements related to child labor, including employment, wages, working hours, overtime, and work environment requirements.
C) The factory encourages and allows eligible workers (especially young workers) to participate in night school education, part-time education programs, and government funded education programs.
D) The factory must keep official documents for each worker to verify their birth age. If the country where the worker is located does not have official identification documents, the factory should use appropriate and reliable methods to determine the age of the worker.
6. Salary and working hours
The working hours, wages, and overtime pay stipulated by the factory should comply with the requirements of relevant laws. Workers should be paid at least the local minimum wage standard or local industry standard, whichever is the highest. Although overtime is inevitable in the clothing industry, factories should adopt different methods to reduce overtime during operation to ensure a humane and efficient working environment.
A) Workers should be paid at least the local minimum wage standard or local industry standard, whichever is the highest.
B) The overtime pay rate and performance bonus paid by the factory to workers must comply with local legal requirements or local industry standards (whichever is the highest). The overtime pay rate must be higher than the hourly salary during normal working hours.
C) Factories are not allowed to frequently require workers to work more than 60 hours per week.
D) Workers may refuse to work overtime and may not be fined, punished, or dismissed.
E) Workers have at least one day off every seven days.
F) Factories should provide paid annual leave and holidays for workers in accordance with local legal requirements or industry standards.
G) During each salary payment cycle, the factory must provide workers with an easily understandable payroll, including working days, daily or piece rate wages, overtime at different rates, bonuses, allowances, and legal or contractual deductions.
7. Work environment
Factories must respect workers, maintain their self-esteem, and provide them with a safe and healthy working environment. The factory should comply with all legal and regulatory requirements related to the working environment. The factory shall not use corporal punishment or any other form of physical or psychological coercion. The factory must provide sufficient lighting and ventilation conditions, maintain unobstructed passages, repair and maintain machinery, and properly store and handle hazardous materials. When factories provide dormitories for workers, it is necessary to ensure the hygiene and safety of the dormitories.
Factory:
A. The factory shall not participate in or allow corporal punishment or coercion of workers.
B. The factory shall not participate in or allow psychological coercion or any other form of non physical abuse of workers, including intimidation, sexual harassment, shouting or insulting of workers.
C. The factory should comply with all laws and regulations related to the working environment, including worker health and safety, hygiene, fire protection, risk prevention, electricity, machinery, and building safety.
D. The working surface brightness of the production area (such as sewing, knitting, ironing, and cutting beds) must be sufficient to ensure safe production.
E. Good ventilation. The production area must have windows, fans, air conditioning, or heating to ensure sufficient air circulation, ventilation, and temperature control.
F. The number of exits is sufficient and clearly marked to facilitate orderly evacuation in the event of a fire or other emergency. Factories should use 'yellow boxes' or other signs in front of emergency exits, firefighting equipment, switches, and potential ignition sources to indicate 'keep clear'.
G. Ensure that passages, exits, and stairwells remain unobstructed at all times, and that semi-finished products, clothing, fabrics, boxes, and other items do not obstruct these locations to ensure orderly evacuation in the event of a fire or other emergency.
H. All exit doors and exits must not be blocked or locked during working hours, in order to facilitate orderly evacuation in the event of a fire or other emergency. All main exit doors must open outward.
I. Fire extinguishers must be suitable for different fires that occur in all areas of the factory, and should be regularly maintained and pressurized. The date of the last inspection should be indicated on the fire extinguisher and hung on the wall or column to ensure that it is easy to access and take.
J. Each floor must be equipped with an alarm bell, and emergency lights should be installed at exits and stairwells.
K. Fire drills should be conducted at least once a year.
L. Machinery and equipment should be equipped with safety protection devices and regularly inspected and maintained.
M. Workers should be provided with appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) for free, such as masks, gloves, eye masks, earplugs, rubber boots, etc., and instructions for use should be posted in the workplace.
N. The factory should provide employees with drinkable water and workers should drink water during working hours.
O. The factory should provide at least one first aid kit on each floor and train employees on basic first aid knowledge. The factory should develop procedures to handle major work-related accidents that require treatment outside the factory.
P. The factory should provide clean and hygienic restrooms for employees during working hours, and workers should not be restricted from using the restrooms.
Q. Factories should store hazardous and explosive materials in safe and ventilated areas and handle them in a safe and legal manner.
Dormitory (if provided):
A. The dormitory complies with all relevant health and safety laws and regulations, including fire safety, hygiene, risk prevention, electricity, machinery, and building safety.
B. Male and female workers are not allowed to mix up.
C. The per capita living area must meet the requirements of local laws and industry standards.
D. Each worker has an independent bed or cushion.
E. Maintain good ventilation in the dormitory. All rooms must have windows, fans, and/or air conditioning and/or heating that lead to the outside to ensure sufficient air circulation, ventilation, and temperature control.
F. Provide workers with their own lockers for storing clothing and personal items.
G. Each floor must have at least two exits, clearly marked, and emergency lights should be installed in corridors, stairwells, and each exit.
H. Corridors and exits must be unobstructed to ensure safe and rapid evacuation in the event of a fire or other emergency.
I. Evacuation instructions must be posted in all rooms to facilitate rapid evacuation in the event of a fire or other emergency.
J. The dormitory must be equipped with fire extinguishers and ensure easy access and accessibility.
K. Dangerous and explosive materials used in the production process shall not be stored in the dormitory area or in areas connected to the dormitory.
L. Fire drills should be conducted at least once every six months.
M. Ensure that the dormitory has sufficient lighting.
N. Provide employees with sufficient separate restrooms and shower facilities for male and female use, and ensure safety, hygiene, ease of use, and privacy.
O. Provide drinking water or hot water facilities for workers staying in the dormitory.
P. Except for certain restrictions imposed to ensure the safety and comfort of employees, workers shall not be restricted from free entry and exit during off hours.
8. Free association
Workers are free to choose to join unions. Factories shall not interfere with workers' activities of forming associations, forming trade unions, or collective bargaining through legal and peaceful means. Whether to exercise this right is up to the workers themselves to decide.
A. Workers have the right to freely choose whether to form legal unions and join them.
B. The factory shall not threaten, fine, restrict or interfere with workers who join the union through legal means.
9. Monitoring and Execution
As one of the conditions for business dealings with GAP, all factories must comply with the requirements of this code. GAP will continue to improve its monitoring system to evaluate and ensure that factories meet standards.
If GAP discovers that any factory has violated the requirements of this code, GAP may terminate business dealings or require the factory to implement corrective measures. If the factory requests rectification but fails to implement it, GAP will stop continuing but may also require the factory to stop production.
三、GAP factory inspection requirements for wages, working hours, and working environment
一）、GAP factory inspection regarding wage and working hours requirements:
The working hours, wages, and overtime pay stipulated by the factory should comply with the requirements of relevant laws. Although overtime is inevitable in the clothing industry, factories need to adopt different methods during operation to reduce overtime hours and ensure a humane and efficient working environment.
A) Workers should be paid at least according to the local minimum wage standard or local industry standards;
B) The overtime pay rate and performance bonus paid by the factory to workers must comply with local legal requirements or industry standards.
C) Factories are not allowed to frequently require workers to work more than 60 hours per week.
D) Workers may refuse to work overtime and may not be fined, punished, or dismissed.
E) Workers have at least one day off every seven days.
F) Factories should provide paid annual leave and holidays for workers in accordance with local legal requirements or industry standards.
G) During each salary payment cycle, the factory must provide workers with an easily understandable payroll, including working days, daily or piece rate wages, overtime at different rates, bonuses, allowances, and legal or contractual deductions.
二）、GAP Factory Inspection Requirements for Work Environment
Factories must respect workers, maintain their self-esteem, and provide them with a safe and healthy working environment. The factory should comply with all legal and regulatory requirements related to the working environment. The factory shall not use corporal punishment or any other form of physical or psychological coercion. The factory must provide sufficient lighting and ventilation conditions, maintain unobstructed passages, repair and maintain machinery, and properly store and handle hazardous materials. When factories provide dormitories for workers, it is necessary to ensure the hygiene and safety of the dormitories.