FIGHTING AGAINST FORCED LABOUR AND CHILD LABOUR IN SUPPLY CHAINS 

 

In accordance with the new law on Fighting Against Forced Labour and Child Labour in Supply Chains (law S211), this report presents the measures taken by TRISTAN to prevent and reduce the risks of forced labour and child labour in its supply chain. The reporting period for this report is the fiscal year ending February 3rd, 2024.

OUR COMPANY

Structure

Founded in 1973, TRISTAN is a family-owned company with 100% ownership by family members and counts nearly 350 employes in Canada.

Activities

TRISTAN offers quality clothing for men and women seeking refined and sustainable style. Tristan designs, manufactures, imports, and distributes clothing and accessories for men and women through its 30 retail stores in Canada and online at www.tristanstyle.com.

At TRISTAN, we believe that every action, no matter how small, leads to significant changes. We understand that the decisions we make today in our industry can have a significant impact on our planet and its inhabitants, and we continually challenge ourselves to adopt responsible business practices.

Our commitment to social and environmental responsibility involves systematically initiating initiatives to reduce our environmental impact and combat working conditions that do not meet ethical standards, including forced labor or child labor. We are aware of the importance of doing our part and continuously seek opportunities to improve our actions and decisions. We are constantly learning, improving, and challenging ourselves to evolve. One step at a time, one garment at a time – our teams are committed to be part of the change.

Supply Chain

In our supply chain, we mainly manufacture, import, and sell products under our private label. TRISTAN also works with service providers. We strive to work with suppliers and subcontractors who share our commitment to social, ethical, and environmental responsibility. We build and cultivate strong and lasting business relationships with our suppliers, spanning over many years. This stability ensures that a relationship of trust and mutual respect develops between us and our suppliers, thereby promoting transparency and adherence to our standards and policies.

 

Measures to Prevent and Reduce Risks of Forced Labour and Child Labour

Although to the best of our knowledge, no forced labour or child labour is practiced in our supply chain, we recognize the risks associated with our industry and make efforts to implement mechanisms to prevent them.

1) Risk management by avoiding regions where Forced Labour and Child Labour are most prevalent;

Tristan avoids production in countries where the prevalence of forced labour and child labour is higher.

2) Communication of expectations and standards in our Vendors’ Guide;

In our Vendors’ Guide, sent to all our foreign suppliers, the Code of Conduct section defines our values and expectations regarding ethical standards, human rights, health and safety, and environmental protection. It is stated in our guide that our company explicitly prohibits the use of forced labour and child labour: ‘Our suppliers must share our commitment to being socially, ethically, and environmentally responsible. The use of forced labour, child labour, or any other form of modern slavery by our suppliers is strictly prohibited. Our suppliers must not employ individuals below the minimum working age according to local laws and fundamental ethical standards and must ensure a safe working environment for their employees. We understand that the decisions we make today in our industry can have a significant impact on our planet and its inhabitants, and we continually challenge ourselves to adopt responsible business practices. We continuously seek opportunities to improve our actions and decisions.’

3) Due Diligence Process – Risk Management by a Third Party;

We conduct proactive evaluations to assess and mitigate potential human rights,
safety, and various other risks. TRISTAN relies on specialized firms such as Amfori BSCI, short for Amfori Business Social Compliance Initiative, which provides a recognized methodology to identify and address risks in global supply chains. Although no cases of forced labour or child labour have been raised, these assessments would benefit from more rigorous implementation and will be part of our action plan to continuously improve our efforts.

4) In-Person Factory Visits by Management;

For our company and its leaders, ethics go beyond compliance with rules and reside in a culture of governance and benevolence. As much as possible, our leaders themselves visit the factories and offices of our suppliers to ensure, amongst other norms, that fundamental standards of respect for human rights are upheld.

 

Risks of Forced Labour and Child Labour

Despite no forced labour or child labour being identified in our supply chain, we
recognize that historically, the fashion industry has been associated with risks due to the nature of its clothing and accessory manufacturing activities (particularly in the ‘fast fashion’ industry, which is not the niche we operate in). That said, the measures in place and an action plan aimed at continuing to improve these preventive measures will take this into account.

 

Remediation Measures

In the event of non-compliance with the requirements and principles stated in our
Vendors’ Guide, we will collaborate with our suppliers to develop effective action plans.The scope of action plans will depend on the nature and severity of the identified noncompliances. TRISTAN advocates a continuous improvement approach.

Remediation in Case of Revenue Loss

As no cases of forced labour or child labour have been identified, no measures have been taken in this regard.

Training

Our company values and code of conduct are communicated to employees as part of the new employee integration program. This code of conduct is also included in our Vendors’ Guide.

Effectiveness Assessment

Tristan is committed to managing the risk of forced labour and child labour in its
operations and supply chains. As indicated in this report, we have certain measures in place to prevent and reduce these risks. However, to date, no other measures have been taken to concretely assess the effectiveness of our approach.

 

In accordance with the requirements of the Act, and in particular section 11 thereof, I attest that I have reviewed the information contained in the report for the entity or entities listed above. Based on my knowledge, and having exercised reasonable diligence, I attest that the information in the report is true, accurate and complete in all material respects for the purposes of the Act, for the reporting year listed above.

I have the authority to bind Boutique Tristan et Iseut Inc.

Lili Fortin,