Supplier Charter
Our supplier’s Charter.
It is important to Hill & Co and to our customers to know that Hill & Co rugs pride themselves on working only with suppliers bound by strict charter which ensures high standards of production, and safeguards the welfare of the workforce.
All our suppliers undertake to be bound by a charter, which ensures certain basic standards for production and for the care and treatment of the work force. The following is an extract from that charter:
The terms and restrictions below are binding on all suppliers, their employees and subcontractors.
The supplier warrants that he is a legally constituted company and that he has all licenses, certificates and accreditations to carry on his business and to export goods within the law.
The supplier should manufacture the goods himself. A list of proposed subcontractors should be submitted and permission to use them must be sought from Hill & Co., such permission to be given in writing (by e-mail).
Child Labour
Hill & Co. will not deal with producers who employ child labour nor buy any goods which are not guaranteed to have been made without the use of child labour.
No one should be employed of less than the national legal minimum age.
All suppliers undertake to comply fully with all relevant local, national or international laws regulations and obligations with regard to child labour, pollutants and in all other regards.
In addition suppliers are expected to treat employees, subcontractors and all other out workers fairly, honestly and with respect for their basic human rights and dignity.
Hours, pay and working conditions should be better than the legal minimum and at least as good as the locally accepted standard.
Care must be taken to avoid the use of dangerous or polluting materials.
All dyes must be colorfast to light and moisture.
Dyes used must be approved for use within the E.U.
In addition the charter lays down fundamental standards for quality control:
Inspection and quality control
All colours must match as accurately as possible the colours specified in the Purchase order.
Colours must be placed exactly as indicated in the order document (plate).
Quality (gruffness) and pile-height must be consistently like the approved sample for the ordered quality.
Materials must be of the best quality for those agreed for a specific quality and substitutions are not allowed.
Yarn must not contain any dark hair inclusions unless specified in the order.
Backing canvas where used must be of the standard colour and quality specified.
For tufted goods size must be within a maximum of 2% in length and in width of the ordered size.
For knotted goods size must be within a maximum of 5% in length and 2% in width of the ordered size.
All edges must be straight unless (e.g. Mahal quality) specified otherwise..
All rugs, unless specifically ordered otherwise, must be checked for squareness.
In cut pile rugs there should be no uncut loops.
In all rugs there should be no long threads: the pile must be of uniform height and the surface must be smooth.
The front and back of all rugs must be totally clean and free from all marks, stains & oil (lubricant) marks.
Packing
All rugs must have a secure adhesive label giving Piece No., Design, Colour, Length and Width in Metres.
The label should have no details of the maker or any other address or details other than those specified above.
All rugs must be individually wrapped in heavy gauge polythene. Up to 3 rugs of size 2.13 x 1.52 or fewer rugs of larger size to a maximum bale weight of 25 Kg Approx. should be packed in a second layer of heavy gauge polythene and a double layer of hessian. Great care should be taken, when sewing the hessian bales not to puncture the polythene or the rugs.
Bales should be marked with the supplier’s name and bale No and addressed to Hill & Co. unless other marking instructions are specified.
Security & Confidentiality
All correspondence, orders, colours, designs and other details of our business must be considered strictly confidential and must not be shown, transmitted or revealed to any third party in any form whatsoever by the supplier, any of his employees or subcontractors.
All designs, plates, Nakshas, colour sets, samples or other forms of design, remain the copyright property of Hill & Co. and must be kept securely on the supplier’s central premises when not being used in manufacture and must be returned to Hill & Co. at their request.
No unauthorised copying of designs is permitted by any means or in any form.
The supplier will take all reasonable steps to ensure that subcontractors and all other third parties abide by these terms and restrictions.
