Ethical Code

Ethical code or code of conduct is a voluntary set of rules and regulations regarding ethical principles and the standards an organisation agrees to adhere to. Codes of conduct often say the right things but the failure comes in translating these principles into action. For example, the European brands who sourced from factories in Rana Plaza, Bangladesh, all had codes of conduct in place but this didn’t result in a safe workplace and over 1,130 people died when the building collapsed in 2013. After Rana Plaza became headline news worldwide, consumers voiced their expectations that brands and suppliers be held accountable for workers safety and rights violations, and for brands to treat the workers who make their products fairly. Unfortunately enforcement of labour laws may be weak in many production countries, and ethical codes/codes of conduct are a set of voluntary standards.