Further to the announcement of the discovery of Camaïeu labels in the Rana Plaza debris on 13 May 2013, the company has carried out an in-depth internal enquiry into how such a situation could have arisen.
Accordingly, after extensive investigations carried out in Bangladesh by the Group's own dedicated team, Camaïeu is now able to disclose the main conclusions of the internal enquiry's report.
In September 2012, Camaïeu placed an order for 20,000 garments (trousers) from a Bangladeshi supplier. The supplier has told us that in December 2012, he subcontracted the pre-despatch quality control tasks (sorting and repackaging) to one of the 5 Rana Plaza factories, in total violation of Camaïeu's General Terms and Conditions of Purchase.
Since the supplier recognises his liability, Camaïeu has expressly demanded and secured his undertaking to compensate the Rana Plaza victims. As the instructing party, Camaïeu has also assumed its corporate responsibility and has therefore agreed to contribute, alongside its supplier, towards compensation for the victims in the amount of its involvement in the production.
Following discussions commenced on 24 May 2013 at the "IndustriALL Global Union" in Bangladesh, Camaïeu signed the preliminary agreement on safety and security in Bangladesh factories on 27 May 2013. On 12 June 2013, the company officially signed the final Agreement.
This demonstrates Camaïeu's determination, reaffirmed many times, to participate in improving working conditions for the employees of its suppliers worldwide. Signing this agreement and our involvement in the drafting of the final safety agreement is entirely consistent with the strict policy we have been conducting with our suppliers for several years. This agreement will also help strengthen dialogue with local authorities to ensure they play their full part in compliance with the basic principles of building construction.
For the record: 75% of the 70 million garments manufactured each year for Camaïeu come from China and Mediterranean countries. In Bangladesh, Camaïeu currently works with 4 regular suppliers out of 280 listed suppliers worldwide. All the factories of Camaïeu's suppliers are audited 2 to 3 times a year by our own audit teams, according to strict specifications. All Camaïeu's suppliers are formally required to sign an ethics charter.