Responsibility

Modern slavery and human rights statement

The steps we take to keep forced labour, bonded labour and child labour out of our business and our supply chain.

Statement for [financial year]

Why we publish this

Many of our clients report under the UK Modern Slavery Act 2015, the Australian Modern Slavery Act 2018 and European supply chain due diligence laws. They need to know how their suppliers manage these risks. This statement sets out how we do.

Our business and supply chain

Dean Textiles works as three divisions: Wovens, Knitwear, and a Sourcing and Buying House. Our supply chain has three tiers:

Our own facility and office in Tiruppur.
Partner units in Tiruppur for specialist processes such as knitting, dyeing, printing and embroidery.
Mills, spinners and trims suppliers across India.

Our commitments

No forced, bonded, prison or child labour, in our business or our suppliers’.
No recruitment fees charged to workers, ever.
Identity documents stay with the worker. Nobody’s movement is restricted.
Wages paid in full and on time, into accounts in the worker’s own name.
No schemes that hold back wages until the end of a contract, including those known in Tamil Nadu as Sumangali.
Overtime is voluntary and within legal limits.
Workers may join or form associations of their choice.

The law we work under

Indian law prohibits these practices, including through the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976 and the Child and Adolescent Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986. Our commitments go beyond legal compliance where client codes of conduct ask for more.

Risks we watch most closely

Spinning mills and hostels. Deferred-wage schemes and restrictions on hostel residents have been reported in parts of the Tamil Nadu yarn sector.
Migrant workers. Tiruppur employs many workers from other states. We make sure contracts, pay slips and grievance routes are available in a language each worker reads.
Undisclosed subcontracting. Work may only be placed with units we have approved.

Due diligence

New suppliers are assessed before they receive work, and approved suppliers are revisited, including unannounced visits. We support client and third-party audits [name audit schemes used, for example SMETA or amfori BSCI].

Grievance and remedy

Workers can raise concerns anonymously. Where we find a breach, we act to protect the worker first, put things right, and end the relationship with suppliers who refuse to change.

Training

Merchandising, quality and sourcing teams are trained to recognise signs of forced labour on factory visits and how to report them.

Measuring progress

[Key figures for the year: suppliers assessed, visits made, issues found and resolved]

Approval

This statement is approved by Anand Muthusamy, Founder, on [date]. It is reviewed every year.