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The Home Depot ethics standard is as follows:
Home Depot and its affiliates, divisions, and subsidiaries are committed to operating in a responsible manner. As companies set up branch offices overseas and work with suppliers around the world to meet the needs of their customers, a shared commitment to protecting human rights and providing a safe working environment in the workplace is critical.
Home Depot expects all of its suppliers to comply with local laws and regulations in the process of producing and distributing products or servicing Home Depot. We encourage all suppliers to operate above and continue to improve above Home Depot requirements.
Home Depot requires all suppliers to comply with the above requirements and will conduct annual Social and Environmental Responsibility (SER) audits of factories that manufacture authorized brands or patented products. For suppliers of other products, Home Depot will evaluate the factory's SER or CSR procedures to ensure compliance with Home Depot's requirements. If the factory does not have a SER program or a CSR program, Home Depot will work with the supplier to help them establish an internal oversight mechanism to ensure compliance with this standard. Home Depot reserves the right to review any supplier that manufactures and distributes products or services for us. Home Depot expects the supplier/factory to notify Home Depot in writing when changing the operating address. In addition, the manufacturer may not transfer the product to another location without the consent of the quality assurance department.
This guide provides a brief description of the minimum requirements that suppliers must comply with when doing business with Home Depot as part of all new or renewed commercial contracts for Home Depot.
Social and environmental responsibility compliance requirements
Inspection right
Suppliers must allow Home Depot representatives to review production units on the Factory Open Information Form, including access to the factory, interviews with workers, and all other documents related to the review.
Age requirement
Suppliers must not use child labor. Home Depot requires all suppliers to employ workers who are of the lowest working age in the locality and, in any case, do not use workers under the age of 14.
If the factory provides an apprenticeship program, it must comply with all local laws and regulations.
Forced labor
Employment must be voluntary. Do not use forced labor, contract or debt labor to produce products from Home Depot or any of its subsidiaries.
No deceiving
The supplier must ensure that all records, work cards and other documents of the factory correctly reflect actual production.
Suppliers must ensure that all products sold to Home Depot do not violate the requirements of patent law, trademark law or copyright law. Suppliers should provide all necessary certificates if requested by Home Depot.
Wages and working hours
Suppliers must establish an effective mechanism to verify and accurately record employee salaries, deductions, and working hours.
Suppliers must comply with all legal requirements regarding wages and remuneration in their country, including normal working hours, overtime pay, maximum allowable working hours, piece rate, and other laws and regulations related to employee benefits.
No discrimination
Hiring workers should be based on individual abilities rather than on personal characteristics. These include, but are not limited to, employment, wages, benefits, promotion, disciplinary or dismissal.
Home Depot requires its suppliers to respect workers and maintain their dignity. Suppliers must ensure that no corporal punishment is used in the workplace.
Environment, health and safety
Home Depot requires suppliers to comply with local laws and regulations to provide employees with a safe and healthy working environment to avoid accidents and accidents at work.
If the employer provides staff quarters, you must ensure a safe and healthy accommodation and comply with all local laws and regulations.
Suppliers are encouraged to provide personal protective equipment to workers exposed to hazardous working conditions.
Suppliers are encouraged to comply with local/national laws and regulations when storing, managing and disposing of waste.
Emergency plan
Emergency exits in the factory and dormitory areas must remain unobstructed.
Freedom of speech and association
The production unit must respect the right of workers to join the legal organization freely and must not interfere with the exercise of this right by the worker.
Review
Home Depot authorized suppliers, brands or patented product manufacturers will receive an annual review. To ensure that suppliers continue to meet SER requirements, Home Depot will review the facility without prior notice. The audit fee is borne by the supplier. All SER audits are based on national/local laws or Home Depot standards (not required by local law).
Corrective Action
If the supplier is found to have discrepancies during the audit, the supplier must take appropriate improvement measures to correct the discrepancies within the time required by Home Depot and avoid recurrence.
Environmental requirements
Home Depot seeks to work with suppliers that have the same guaranteed environment as ours.
Suppliers are required to comply with the environmental laws of their country.
Suppliers are expected to purchase wood and wood products that are certified to forest systems wherever practicable and promote the effective and responsible use of wood and wood products.
Supply chain security
Home Depot is very focused on supply chain security issues. As global terrorism has become increasingly rampant, we have joined the US Customs C-TPAT program and have taken other steps to strengthen existing security measures. Home Depot also requires suppliers to meet minimum safety standards.
Suppliers shall establish procedures and procedures and ensure that unauthorized goods or personnel are not allowed to enter the containers of Home Depot and its subsidiaries. Therefore, suppliers should have written safety procedures for at least the standards set by the following CBP.
Home Depot maintains an assessment of the supplier's safety plan and the implementation of its production plant/warehouse. If the supplier's production unit does not take adequate security measures, it will jeopardize the relationship with Home Depot.
The following standards set minimum requirements that suppliers must comply with and must be met in order to do business with Home Depot. However, Home Depot recognizes the differences in the business environment of suppliers in different countries, and we expect suppliers to operate at a higher than this minimum. Home Depot will handle different cases based on actual conditions. Home Depot encourages all suppliers to operate above this minimum and continue to improve.
Container safety
Suppliers must establish a loading procedure to prevent unauthorized goods or personnel from entering the container.
All fully loaded containers destined for the United States must be sealed with a high security seal (in accordance with PAS ISO 177712).
When the container is in the supplier's production unit, it must be stored in a safe area to avoid unauthorized access and/or manipulation.
Factory/Warehouse physical security
The materials used in the building must be resistant to illegal intrusion.
Physical security includes: adequate locking, adequate lighting, and perimeter security.
Factory/Warehouse Access Control
Suppliers should establish safety procedures to prevent unauthorized personnel from entering all loading/unloading platforms and areas.
Supplier access control includes:
A system that effectively identifies employees, visitors, and suppliers.
There must be procedures for identifying, interrogating, and reporting unauthorized personnel.
Factory/warehouse personnel safety
Within the scope permitted by local law, personnel selection during the recruitment process, including background checks and employee interviews.
Factory/Warehouse Safety Training and Alert Consciousness
Suppliers must have or establish a safety awareness program that primarily trains employees about hazard awareness and supply chain safety issues. All employees of the supplier must receive such training.
information security
All automated systems of the supplier should only be accessible through a separate account and the password must be changed periodically.
Suppliers must establish an information security policy and train all employees.
Third party
In the process of shipment to Home Depot, if a supplier cannot control the production or product transportation, the supplier agrees to ensure that its suppliers and transporters implement the recommendation through reasonable commercial pressure.
On-site assessment
To ensure that the minimum standards of this Code are properly implemented and compliant, Home Depot reserves the right to conduct surprise inspections of the facility at the expense of the supplier.
Corrective Action
Home Depot reserves the right to take appropriate corrective action if it is found that the supplier's factory used to manufacture the product for Home Depot or its subsidiaries violates the requirements of this standard. Home Depot has the sole right to interpret and enforce the standard.
Annual notice
Home Depot requires a C-TPAT-certified supplier to provide a copy of the C-TPAT certificate and the SVI number. Suppliers must also complete a self-assessment questionnaire developed by Home Depot Global Business Services and submit it for filing.
Home Depot requirements for imported goods in high-risk countries
Home Depot uses a range of methods to monitor global security issues and then divides different countries into high, medium and low risks.
In countries that are listed as high risk by Home Depot, we reserve the right to select third-party security agencies to contact suppliers directly.
Home Depot will be responsible for all details, including audits at the factory or port (including but not limited to providing audit checklists to safety agents, scheduling audit dates and times)
Documents that the third party requires the supplier to provide for review must provide a copy to Home Depot for filing.
It is the responsibility of the supplier to ensure that the relevant fees are paid to the third-party auditing agency in a timely manner (45-day payment period).
Home Depot only recognizes contracts signed by third-party agencies and suppliers, and suppliers should provide a copy of the contract to Home Depot Global Business Services Manager. Any violation of the non-compliance with this security standard will result in a “review failed” result.
