At Liberty, we believe in doing business with decency. We want the people who make our products to be treated with respect, work in decent conditions and get paid fairly for what they do.
We strive to lead by example on ethical trade. We set high standards for our own business and the companies that supply the products we sell. And we work with other leading brands to support this important global movement.
Transforming Trade Through Better Business
Liberty became a member of the UK Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) in 2019 to help drive up ethical standards and promote respect for workers’ rights throughout the globe. We share their vision of a world where all workers are free from exploitation.
We follow the ETI Base Code of good labour practice – from ensuring fair pay and safe working conditions to banning harsh treatment or discrimination of any kind. And we only buy from companies who uphold this commitment.
But we can’t change the world alone. Global supply chains are large and complex. Through the ETI, we can share our experiences with like-minded brands, trade unions and NGOs, learn from each other and achieve much more together than we could alone.
“Liberty is respected and has a long history in retail and craft – we hope to put our skills and reputation at the service of the movement for ethical trade. Through the ETI, we can collaborate with others who share a moral imperative to do business with decency and with respect for people.”
Putting Ethical Trade into Practice
Thousands of supply chain workers around the world help make our iconic Liberty products – from bags and scarves to jewellery and clothing. We’re committed to protecting their rights. And this commitment runs deep in our organisation.
Map of our suppliers for Liberty-branded products as of September 2023
Every business that supplies Liberty branded products must sign up to our Supplier and Partner Code of Conduct, which enshrines the ETI’s internationally recognised Base Code of labour practices.
We check that suppliers are meeting these standards through independent factory audits. These include confidential interviews with workers to gain direct feedback on working conditions. We also train our employees to look out for potential issues when dealing with suppliers and to spot the signs of modern slavery.
We’re now working with the ETI to look deeper into our global supply chain. Mapping where our products are made will enable us to better pinpoint the biggest potential risks to workers’ rights. We can then take action on specific risks – like making sure that artisans who make products from home are treated fairly and with respect.
We chart our progress each year in our Modern Slavery Statement.
Protecting Artisans Who Craft Our Christmas Decorations
Our embroidered Christmas decorations are among the many Liberty products that are lovingly crafted by skilled artisans. But gaining transparency into artisans’ working conditions can be challenging because they often work from home.
In 2021, we teamed up with Homeworkers Worldwide and Transform Trade to shine a spotlight on these valued and potentially vulnerable workers in our supply chain.
Working on the ground in India, these expert organisations mapped every stage of the supply chain for one of our embroidered Christmas decorations. They talked to our supply companies in the UK and India, their network of master craftsmen and the homeworkers themselves to get a better understanding of homeworking conditions. And they proposed solutions for all the problems they uncovered.
We’ve been using what we learnt from this fact-finding mission to make sure we have the right policies and practices in place to protect homeworkers’ rights. Our goal is for all the artisans who make our products to work in decent conditions and have livelihoods they can depend on to support their families.
Our Ethical Trading Policies
Our Supplier and Partner Code of Conduct is supported by specific policies to protect young workers, migrant and contract workers, homeworkers, and people employed in the cotton and textiles industries.