It might sound a tad corny, but we want everyone who works for Monsoon Accessorize to feel valued. This doesn't stop at the people who work in London's HQ, or those who put their all into selling our products in stores across the globe. It extends to the people who work tirelessly to create beautiful products for us, often in small villages across Asia (you may have already read a bit about them in Our roots section).

We are proud that we are a founder member of the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) (www.ethicaltrade.org), whose goal is to ensure that the working conditions of workers producing for the UK market meet or exceed international labour standards.

We're not claiming to have all the answers, but have spent many years learning from and interacting with suppliers, other retailers, NGOs and trade unions who share our aspiration to be as ethically-driven as possible.

In terms of how we do business, we ask all our suppliers to commit to The Monsoon Accessorize Code of Conduct. This is based on ETI standards and sets out minimum requirements relating to working conditions, pay and employment rights. We then work closely with our suppliers to help them improve and monitor progress through regular visits from our own as well as external audit teams. This includes some unannounced visits so we get an accurate picture of progress.

To us, living our values means creating long-standing, sustainable relationships - and we have worked with many of our suppliers for over 20 years. This doesn't mean we turn a blind eye. If we find a problem, we work together to put it right. If our suppliers do not come up to scratch within a reasonable time frame, we are prepared to move our business elsewhere.

As an active member of the ETI's homeworkers group in India, we have helped to introduce training and monitoring for embroidery workers in India, as well as improved access to medical and social benefits. We're also partnering with the Indian NGO, SEWA (Self-Employed Women's Association) to set up self-help groups and provide micro-finance, training and education in craft communities. This is an on-going journey, but one that we are committed to for the long-term.

Download the 2007 Monsoon ETI report - (0.5Mb)

Download the 2006 Monsoon ETI report - (1.5Mb)

Download the Monsoon Homeworking Policy - (0.4Mb)

Back to Living Our Values and Ethics since 1973