Ch. 3 - Ethics & Social Responsibility

Angela Ahrendts, senior vice president of retail and online stores for Apple Inc., once said, "Everyone talks about building a relationship with your customer. I think you build one with your employees first."

At Forever 21, the choices they must undertake are always a work in progress. Aside from their stores and corporate family, endeavoring a positive influence is also given to the hundreds of vendor manufacturing facilities worldwide which make their products,

as well as their employees.

Supplier and Vendor: Social Compliance and Ethical Sourcing

To all the hundreds of vendor manufacturing facilities worldwide; ensuring the safety and healthy environments, and to provide products to consumers.

A special program called the Forever 21 Vendor Audit Program, is a program in which all suppliers and vendors must participate in. Advantages of this agreement include:

• Getting paid fair and legal wages
• Legal environment requirements and security
• Free association rights
• Nondiscrimination
• Prohibiting the use of forced slave, child, and prison labor

Forever 21 is a friendly and delightful to work with any factory to help them improve and ensure consistent compliance. However, when certain violations are issued that may threat the safety of their employees, and the efficiency and product quality standards, it is their best decision to terminate that factory from their list.

Charities 

Sharing is caring and most costumers don't know that Forever 21 strongly takes this value to heart. Their passion for giving and helping those who are in need is very important for them. Over the years, Forever 21 has helped numerous organizations by carrying products such as their Give to Love Love to Give collection. Through this collection and many other organizations (Japan Disaster Relief, The American Red Cross, etc.), Forever 21 donated over $9.5M in 2011. 

Environmental Policy

Environmental sustainability is a key responsibility which Forever 21 is committed to improve. Several ways the company ensures their material and products cause no harm to the global environment is by:

1. Transporting products via sea vs. airfreight in order to reduce carbon emissions.
2. Using energy efficient lighting systems inside their stores to cut down energy usage.
3. Recycling any shipment boxes at their distribution center.