About Our Supply Chain
About Our Supply Chain – Standards for Business Partner Conduct – California Transparency in Supply Chains Act of 2010
Toys“R”Us has developed and maintains its Standards for Partner Conduct which require that anyone working on behalf of our company, including business partners (including vendors and suppliers), service providers, independent contractors and each of their subcontractors (jointly “Partners”), comply with all laws and regulations in each country in which it operates, or in which Toys“R”Us operates, as well as with company procedures and policies. As such, our Partners must adhere to the same policies as Toys“R”Us employees when it comes to the treatment of workers.
In particular, the Standards for Partner Conduct require that all Toys“R”Us Partners adhere to an absolute prohibition on the use of involuntary labor of any kind, including child labor and indentured labor. Partners must comply with all applicable laws, whether they be at the national or local levels, concerning age requirements, child labor, working conditions, hours worked, and wages earned. Working conditions must adhere to all applicable laws regarding safe, healthy and clean work site conditions; these requirements extend to any housing provided to workers by Partners.
In many instances, Toys“R”Us requires its Partners to certify and warrant their compliance with these standards. For example, the company’s standard purchase orders and agreements expressly require its Partners to warrant that the products they provide are manufactured, produced and packaged in accordance with all applicable laws and employment requirements and without the use of forced labor of any kind, including child labor and indentured labor. Toys“R”Us employees undergo regular training regarding these Standards and their enforcement requirements.
Partners who produce exclusive-brand items for Toys“R”Us are subject to random, unannounced assessments by both Toys“R”Us teams and third-party conformity labs. All other Toys“R”Us Partners are required to arrange factory assessments through an accredited third-party lab, and assessments must be conducted in accordance with the Toys“R”Us Standards for Partner Conduct.
Toys“R”Us has the right to monitor compliance with this policy through the unannounced inspection of facilities by third party monitors as well as by Toys“R”Us representatives. Partners are required to maintain on site documentation regarding their compliance with these Standards and permit full access to facilities for the inspection of worker records. Partners must also make workers available for confidential interviews without fear of retaliation.
In addition, as part of our Standards for Partner Conduct, business partners, contractors and service providers may not harass, discriminate against or retaliate against any worker because of his or her race, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, personal characteristics or beliefs, or other category protected by applicable law.
The company also engages an independent auditor to ensure that Partners who produce exclusive-brand items for Toys“R” Us adhere to the standards set forth by the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) program, which includes processes to guard against human slavery and trafficking. Partners who use raw materials in the manufacture of exclusive-brand products must maintain records certifying that all raw materials used are sourced in compliance with the applicable laws on forced labor.
In addition to ensuring the ethical treatment of workers at all points in our supply chain, we take very seriously the trust parents place in us to provide only the safest products for their children. As such, all Toys“R”Us exclusive-brand products are tested by accredited third party labs to standards that meet or exceed federal requirements related to each individual product. Other Partners must have their products tested by accredited laboratories, and Toys“R”Us can request verification of such testing at any time. All testing documentation must be provided to Toys“R”Us within 48 hours of such a request.
To maintain internal accountability for ensuring these standards and procedures are upheld, these policies are documented and available online for the company’s employees and Partners. Special attention to these standards and procedures is required for Toys“R”Us employees with responsibility for sourcing and supply chain management. Furthermore, company employees and Partners who supply exclusive-brand products for Toys“R”Us are regularly provided with training on the company’s standards and requirements from accredited third-party labs, as well as the company’s internal teams.
Compliance with all provisions of these standards is mandatory for Toys“R”Us Partners. We reserve the right to assess any business partner, contractor and/or service provider, and their facilities, to ensure they are in compliance. Toys“R”Us also reserves the right to terminate its business relationship with any Partner that violates the law, the Toys“R”Us Standards for Partner Conduct, or any other applicable company policy and/or fails to remediate areas of non-compliance.