Code of conduct
Ethical Standards & Social Responsibility
SUCK UK Ltd is committed to sourcing quality merchandise and developing partnerships with suppliers who share common principles of social and environmental accountability. We ensure that our required standards are met by our suppliers and where necessary factory audits are carried out. We require the same principles to be adopted by all our manufacturing partners at all times.
Audit
SUCK UK work in partership with third party inspection company Qima to help our suppliers manage and improve their ethical accountability. SUCK UK carry out inspections to the Amfori BSCI auditing methodology and SMETA standards. We aim to provide a transparent representation of our ethical compliance by supplying copies of our factory audits directly to our customers on request.
Manufacturing
Standard
SUCK UK care about how our products are manufactured
and the working conditions in which they are produced.
We are committed to ensuring that our chosen suppliers provide a safe and hygienic working environment for all
of their employees.
Wages and Hours
Our suppliers shall pay all workers at least the minimum legal wage governed in their local areas in a timely manner. Whilst overtime is voluntary and may be necessary at times during peak time production, our suppliers operate in a manner that limits overtime to a level that ensures a safe and productive working environment.
Relationships
Although we are based in London, we aim to regularly visit our key suppliers in China and Hong Kong. Face to face meetings with owners and staff help build a strong, mutually beneficial business relationship. Visiting the factory floor enables us to witness and understand working conditions and processes directly.
In-person visits also provide a valuable opportunity for sharing insights and optimising quality
and efficiency - the benifits of which we pass on to our customers.
Environmental
Standards
SUCK UK are taking big steps to become greener when and wherever possible. Our commitment:
Child Labour
SUCK UK do not tolerate child labour or forced labour of any kind. Our suppliers only employ workers above the local legal age limit to produce our products. SUCK UK encourage apprenticeship programmes for young people as long as they are not exploited or placed in a situation that would endanger their health and safety.
Product Testing
SUCK UK has a close relationship with Qima and we ensure all new products placed on the market are safe and comply to regulatory standards implemented by the EU, UK and USA. We are happy to investigate other testing methods or certificates on request from our international customers. Test certificates are available in the technical information tab for each product.
Respect for
Individuals
SUCK UK believes that individuals should be employed on the basis of their ability to do a good job – not on the basis of individual characteristics or beliefs. We refuse to develop business with any supplier who discriminates either in hiring or in employment practices.
Intellectual
Property
Our suppliers respect and support the protection of the trade secrets, patents, trademarks and copyrighted works of SUCK UK and its customers. All of our suppliers have signed a confidentiality agreement which protects all information that is provided by us and our clients.
WEEE
SUCK UK is registered with the UK Environment Agency under the WEEE scheme. Our reference number is WEE/JH3584ST.
SMETA
Originally designed by Sedex. SMETA inspections produce a comprehensive report that is easy to evaluate and pays special attention to needs to the factories workers. It is not a code of conduct, a new methodology, or a certification process, but describes an audit procedure which is a compilation of good practice in ethical audit technique. The SMETA documents are designed to be used in conjunction with current established practices by experienced auditors to help them to conduct high quality audits that will be accepted by multiple retailers and brands.
