BHRRC outreach to Boden

Several months after the publication of Transparentem’s report we are inviting all brands identified in the investigation as sourcing from the factories to provide information:

1. On how the above violations have been addressed, and
2. Specifically to provide responses to the following questions:
   1. What steps has Boden taken since the investigation’s publication to investigate the allegations brought to it by Transparentem? Has Boden substantiated the outstanding allegations, particularly of recruitment fee-charging?
   2. If audits of the factory/ies have been conducted, please disclose any and all audit reports from January 2023 to present.
   3. As of May 2024, is Boden part of a buyer’s group at the factory? If yes, has it committed funds to remediate workers who were charged recruitment fees?
   4. Given the commitment from Barbour, PVH and Second Clothing to repay migrant workers for recruitment fees and related costs at R.E.A.L, will Boden commit to joining a reimbursement effort at Firemount?
   5. To date, what efforts have been made to address the allegations of abusive working and living conditions? How has the implementation of any improvement measures been substantiated by Boden?

Response from Boden

Boden stopped sourcing products through the supplier in questions in June 2022 and were made aware of Transparentem's findings in November 2022. Since then, we have been involved in a working group to remediate the issues found...

... Boden has started to go beyond audits and hear directly from workers through our worker voice programme. This gives Boden more touchpoints throughout the year and helps us prioritise our areas of focus. Where Boden finds breaches in the RSC, we work swiftly and rigorously to address them.