Supre

OVERALL
Owned	AUS
Rating

Teen female fashion retailer

Founded in 1984 by Hans and Helen van der Meulen. Operates across Australia and New Zealand. Clothes are designed in Australia and made locally and offshore. Acquired by Cotton On in Oct 2013.

Company Ownership


Supre Holdings Pty Ltd	AUS	website	email
Cotton On Clothing Pty Ltd owns 100% of Supre Holdings Pty Ltd	AUS	website	email
Clothing Established in 1991 in Geelong. Today they have over 600 stores in Australia, NZ, Singapore and Hong Kong. Acquired Supre in Oct 2013.

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Company Assessment

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INFORMATION

Supre Holdings Pty Ltd

Sexualised advertisements

Supre has been criticised for sexualised television commercials, posters and shirts. As shown on the Collective Shout website, the Advertising Standards Bureau upheld complaints with regards to a poster on the grounds that it sexualised children, in breach of advertising codes.
[Source 2011][More on Irresponsible Marketing]

Supre Foundation

The Supre Foundation aims to empower girls globally. 100% of proceeds they raise through the sale of their charity products go directly to supporting Supre Foundation projects in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
[Source 2017][More on Finance]

Cotton On Clothing Pty Ltd

A grade in 2018 Ethical Fashion Report

A grade in the Baptist World Aid Australia's 'Ethical Fashion Report 2018', which grades companies, from A to F, on the strength of their systems to mitigate against the risks of forced labour, child labour, and exploitation in their supply chains. Assessment criteria fall into four main categories: policies, knowing suppliers, auditing and supplier relationships, and worker empowerment.
[Source 2018][More on Workers Rights]

Bangladesh Safety Accord signatory

This company has signed the 'Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh', a program endorsed by Bangladeshi and international unions and labor rights organizations. The ground-breaking program includes independent safety inspections with public reports, mandatory factory building renovations, the obligation by brands and retailers to underwrite the cost of repairs, and a vital role for workers and their unions all in a legally-binding, enforceable agreement.
[Source 2018][More on Human Rights]

Uzbek cotton commitment

This company has signed the Cotton Pledge with the Responsible Sourcing Network, signifying a public commitment to not use Uzbekistani cotton. (Uzbekistan is the world's fifth largest exporter of cotton and has for decades been criticised for using the forced labour of its schoolchildren to harvest that cotton by hand under appalling conditions. This practice is organised and controlled by the central government).
[Source 2016][More on Human Rights]

Transparency Pledge

The Apparel and Footwear Supply Chain Transparency Pledge (Transparency Pledge) helps demonstrate apparel and footwear companies' commitment towards greater transparency in their manufacturing supply chain. Transparency of a company's manufacturing supply chain better enables a company to collaborate with civil society in identifying, assessing, and avoiding actual or potential adverse human rights impacts. This is a critical step that strengthens a company's human rights due diligence. This company is fully aligned with the Transparency Pledge, thereby committing to regularly publish on its website a list naming all sites that manufacture its products.
[Source 2017][More on Sustainability Reporting]

Forced by back-pay $278,000 to workers

In July 2010 Cotton On back-paid 3289 of its employees more than $278,000 after it was discovered the company had failed to pay staff for attending training out of working hours. Cotton On Clothing Pty Ltd entered into an enforceable undertaking with the Fair Work Ombudsman whereby the company posted an apology on Facebook, sent Human Resources managers to workplace compliance training and agreed to provide 3 consecutive annual reports on its active compliance.
[Source 2010][More on Workers Rights]

Fined over product safety

In 2012 Cotton On was fined $1 million for selling children's sleepwear that was deemed so flammable it shouldn't have even been sold in Australia. Cotton On have also been at the centre of a number of controversies over the past few years including advertising bungles and an underpayment scandal. [Listed under Information due to age of court finding]
[Source 2012][More on Product Safety]

Animal testing status unknown

This company does not appear on the cruelty free lists of PETA, Leaping Bunny or CCF, nor do they appear on PETA's list of companies who do test on animals. Rubi cosmetics are made in China where animal testing used to be, but is no longer, required so it is unclear whether their cosmetics are tested on animals.
[Source 2016][More on Animal Testing]

The Full Federal Court of Australia ordered Cotton On Clothing Pty Ltd to pay damages of $280,000 to Elwood Clothing Pty Ltd after finding that Cotton On Clothing Pty Ltd had infringed the copyright of T-shirt and swing-tag designs belonging to Elwood Cothing Pty Ltd. http://www.lawlive.com.au/news - see Section 12 for description
[Source 2009][More on Governance]

Angora ban

This company has taken angora items off the shelves and promised not to use angora again, following a PETA campaign launched in Dec 2013 which revealed the cruelty inflicted on angora rabbits in Chinese factory farms, where 90% of the world's angora is produced.
[Source 2018][More on Animal Rights]

Better Cotton Initiative member

This company is a member of the Better Cotton Initiative, a voluntary initiative which encourages the adoption of better management practices in cotton cultivation to achieve measurable reductions in key environmental impacts, while improving social and economic benefits for cotton farmers, small and large, worldwide.
[Source 2017][More on Multi-Stakeholder Initiatives]

Supplier Factory Disclosure List

This company is one of of a handful of major Australian fashion retailers to publish the names and addresses of their supplier factories.
[Source 2016][More on Governance]

Ethics claims

This company has extensive ethics claims on its website under the headings of ethical design, sourcing, production, logistics and retailing.
[Source 2017][More on Sustainability Reporting]

Cotton On Foundation

The Cotton On Foundation raises funds through the sale of charity items, such as reusable shopping bags, in Cotton On Group stores. With these funds they assist several project and other charities.
[Source 2010][More on Finance]

ACT participant

This company is a participant in the Action, Collaboration, Transformation (ACT) initiative, an initiative between international brands and retailers, manufacturers, and trade unions to address the issue of living wages in the textile and garment supply chain.
[Source 2018][More on Multi-Stakeholder Initiatives]

Sedex member

This company is a member of the Supplier Ethical Data Exchange (Sedex), a not-for-profit, membership organisation that leads work with buyers and suppliers to deliver improvements in responsible and ethical business practices in global supply chains. Tens of thousands of companies use Sedex to manage their performance around labour rights, health & safety, the environment and business ethics.
[Source 2018][More on Multi-Stakeholder Initiatives]

Efforts to pay a living wage

Oxfam Australia's Company Tracker compares the big clothing brands on their efforts to pay a living wage to the women working in their factories. This company has released the names and addresses of at least 70% of their supplier factories, but has taken no action towards paying a living wage, and does not have a satisfactory grievance mechanism in place for workers to report violations of their rights.
[Source 2017][More on Workers Rights]

Licensing agreement with Time Warner

In 2013 Cotton On Kids, the childrenswear arm of Cotton On, teamed up with Warner Bros Consumer Products Australia and New Zealand (part of media conglomerate Time Warner). Starting Jan 2014 Cotton On Kids selected baby and children's apparel and accessories will be sporting DC Comics' Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman designs. Time Warner is the world's largest media conglomerate.
[Source 2013][More on Governance]

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Company Details

Company Structure	Wholly-owned subsidiary
Revenue	$219 million in 2012
# Employees	2682 in 2012
Company Ranking	1227 in top 2000 Australian companies

Contact Details

Address	1a Sydney Steel Rd, Marrickville, NSW, 2204, Australia
Phone	02 9550 4200
Fax	02 9516 5155
Website	www.supre.com.au

Supre

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