We believe that we have a responsibility to source our products in a legal, ethical and responsible manner. We seek to partner with suppliers who share this belief. The J.Crew Responsible Sourcing Program was established to clearly communicate our expectations to our suppliers and to monitor working conditions at the manufacturing facilities that make products for J.Crew, Madewell and crewcuts.

The J.Crew Code of Vendor Conduct is the basis for the Responsible Sourcing Program at J.Crew. The Code sets forth the guiding principles that are expected of our suppliers. All vendors that manufacture our products are contractually required to comply with the provisions of the Code.


While it's relatively simple to communicate our expectations to our suppliers, it is more complicated to verify compliance throughout our supply chain. Therefore, we carefully select and rely on independent external firms to conduct both announced and unannounced inspections of manufacturing facilities and to help guide our program.

The suppliers that manufacture our products are regularly inspected to monitor compliance with our Code of Vendor Conduct and related laws and regulations. All new suppliers are subject to inspection before any purchase orders are placed. A typical inspection consists of document review, private worker interviews and a walk-through of the facility to assess workplace health and safety. When appropriate, we will also conduct surveillance and off-site interviews.

In fiscal year 2010, there were approximately 150 vendors representing approximately 215 authorized factories in 18 countries. We inspected 100% of new factories and 80% of our existing authorized factories. The factories we inspected represent approximately 80% of our total production.


We are committed to long-term relationships with our suppliers. It is our practice to assist noncompliant suppliers to become compliant with our Code of Vendor Conduct. We provide our suppliers with the tools they need to improve working conditions, including training and in-factory consultations.

We terminate a business relationship only as a last resort, if a critical issue of noncompliance is identified or when a supplier is unwilling to comply with our requirements despite our efforts to help them become compliant.

We regularly conduct Responsible Sourcing training seminars for our suppliers. These seminars focus on our Code of Vendor Conduct, program requirements and other relevant topics, including working hours and overtime, health and safety and management systems. Since 2005, we have conducted five training seminars and have provided training to around 250 supplier representatives. We also conduct regular training seminars for our associates who work with suppliers on our program requirements and how to best support the company's responsible sourcing efforts.


J.Crew is a member of the Fair Factories Clearinghouse, a nonprofit organization dedicated to facilitating continuous improvement in workplace conditions through technology and collaboration. Our membership in the FFC has allowed for improved communication with our business partners and has made us more effective and efficient in our program operations. More information can be found at fairfactories.org.

J.Crew is a member of BSR, an organization for companies committed to socially responsible business practices, and we are proud to partner with them on two initiatives that are improving working conditions around the world.

HERproject: HERproject is a BSR program focused on educating factory workers about general health and nutrition, as well as reproductive health. The program is designed to benefit both workers and factories. A healthier workforce can reduce absenteeism, improve morale and motivation, increase productivity and result in a better quality of life for the workers and better returns for the factory.

Since launching in 2007, HERproject has worked with over 60 factories and impacted over 100,000 women. In 2011, we launched the program at four key J.Crew suppliers in China, where HERproject is reaching nearly 4,000 workers. In 2011, HERproject was a finalist for an Award for Business Action on Health from the Global Business Coalition on Health (GBC Health). For more information on the project, visit herproject.org.

Apparel, Mills and Sundries Working Group: Because our commitment to responsible sourcing extends throughout our supply chain, we recently joined the Apparel, Mills and Sundries Working Group in order to drive responsible business practices to the mill and trim suppliers with which we do business. The Apparel, Mills and Sundries Working Group is committed to moving away from a top-down, pass-fail audit approach to promoting transparency, knowledge sharing and collaboration between buyers and suppliers.

By jointly developing one set of sustainability principles, diagnostic tools and reporting mechanisms, the group is creating a sustainable model for boosting the bottom line while benefiting workers and the environment.
More information on BSR can be found at bsr.org.



J.Crew is aware of and takes very seriously the reports of government-sponsored forced child labor in the harvest of cotton in Uzbekistan. The use of forced child labor is inconsistent with the requirements set forth in the J.Crew Code of Vendor Conduct. We are firmly opposed to the use of forced child labor in the harvest of Uzbek cotton and are collaborating with a multi-stakeholder coalition to raise awareness of this very serious concern and press for its elimination. We commit to not knowingly source Uzbek cotton for the manufacturing of any of our products until the government of Uzbekistan ends the practice of forced child labor in its cotton sector.

The large majority of merino wool comes from Australia, where sheep are susceptible to illness and death from a condition called blowfly strike. Historically, the industry has used a controversial practice called mulesing in order to prevent this condition. J.Crew shares concerns about this practice and actively participates in industry groups that are collaborating with the Australian wool industry to find viable alternatives to mulesing. Over time, J.Crew is fully committed to phasing out the use of mulesed wool.

Sandblasting is a finishing process that is primarily used to achieve a worn look for denim. The method involves sand particles being applied to garments under high pressure. The use of sandblasting without proper protective equipment endangers the health of factory workers. To ensure the well-being of the workers who manufacture J.Crew products, we have banned the use of sandblasting for all J.Crew, Madewell and crewcuts products.

We continually research potential program enhancements and will update our efforts as necessary in order to maintain a robust and comprehensive program.

If you have any questions about our efforts, please contact us at socialresponsibility@jcrew.com.