DECATHLON and combating forced labour
Krishna KUMAAR DHAMODARAN's account, as a production team leader and expert in combating forced labour.
The economic and social impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have increased the vulnerability of populations most at risk of forced labour. According to the latest report46 by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), 27.6 million people worldwide suffered under forced labour in 2021.
As part of its internal social audit in production process (for Rank 1 and some Rank 2 suppliers), DECATHLON ensures that its suppliers comply with human rights requirements, which may be stricter than the local regulations in some countries.
Driven in particular by Britain’s 2015 Modern Slavery Act47, and by France’s 2017 Duty of Vigilance law, DECATHLON launched targeted actions in three areas related to modern slavery:
- Forced labour: Suppliers’ employees willingly offer their work or services without the threat of any form of penalty
- Responsible recruitment by its suppliers: The recruitment, transport, transfer, accommodation and reception of a migrant worker for the purpose of paid employment must take place without threat, without the use of force and without constraint
- Debt bondage: A person shall not work or provide a service in order to cancel a debt.
These principles were restated in DECATHLON’s latest Modern Slavery Statement.
In addition to its internal social audit grid, the company also states its requirements related to human rights and the fight against forced labour in its Supplier Code of Conduct. Since 2021, these two documents have also included dormitory and ethical recruitment guidelines. It should be noted that the implementation of these guidelines and their application are monitored closely in the countries most at risk.
The company also requires all production teams to complete awareness-raising e learning to prevent situations of forced labour. It also deploys tools such as the forced labour grid, DiginexAPPRISE and Lumen, and targeted assessments to detect reports and improve understanding of the supply chain.
In 2024, DECATHLON made further advances in its fight against forced labour:
- Deploying a remediation plan on recruitment fees, harassment and living conditions following three specific audits conducted in India and Taiwan, after reports identified via the DiginexAPPRISE app
- Implementing a structured protocol to process, prioritise and manage reports related to suppliers
- Updating the dormitories and ethical recruitment guidelines, incorporating and monitoring the Employer Pays Principle. This principle requires the employer to cover the costs of hiring a migrant worker
- Improving teammate and supplier skills: 120 suppliers, 20 buyers and over 400 teammates attended ILO training on forced labour indicators. In addition, a week dedicated to areas for improvement in internal social audits and remediation strategies was held with some 20 global operational managers.
DECATHLON's ethical line, hosted by external service provider Whispli, enables anyone to report a violation of regulations or an action contrary to the company's ethical standards.
This platform puts the informant, whether anonymous or not, in direct contact with a case manager, specially trained to handle alerts and bound by confidentiality.
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