Social Responsibility

We take pride in doing the right thing. J.Jill’s business is conducted in accordance with the highest ethical standards and laws of the United States and the countries where our merchandise is made. The integrity of the production process is just as important as the quality of the products we sell. We partner only with suppliers whose values and practices coincide with the standards set forth in our J.Jill Terms of Engagement–Commitment to Ethical Sourcing.

Our experienced J.Jill senior executives maintain a comprehensive series of policies and procedures to validate and approve our suppliers and regularly monitor their compliance.

We seek to develop and continually foster an atmosphere of social responsibility with our global supplier base. As part of that commitment, we expect our suppliers to comply with the terms of our vendor compliance program, which establishes minimum standards relating to, among other things, child labor, forced labor, human trafficking, discrimination, working hours, compensation and working conditions.

To help facilitate our ability to monitor supplier compliance with our standards, we engage a highly regarded, independent international monitoring firm to conduct unannounced facility visits and private worker interviews for the purpose of certifying compliance. If deficiencies are found, our first step is to work with those suppliers to take corrective actions, unless the deficiencies are severe or it becomes clear to us that the suppliers demonstrate no commitment to our social responsibility code. In that case, we will cease working with them.

General Requirements

• Suppliers shall operate in compliance with all laws and regulations of their respective countries. Suppliers shall comply with the J.Jill Terms of Engagement–Commitment to Ethical Sourcing. If there is a variance between the law and the J.Jill Terms of Engagement, the stricter requirement will take precedence.
• Suppliers will permit J.Jill personnel, or an authorized representative acting on J.Jill’s behalf, access to production facility premises and relevant records, without advance notice.
• Suppliers will not contract or subcontract J.Jill production to any facility that has not first been vetted and approved by J.Jill.

Child Labor

• No person shall be employed at an age younger than 15 (or 14 where the law of the country of manufacture allows) or younger than the age for completing compulsory education in the country of manufacture where such age is higher than 15. Factories must comply with all applicable child labor laws, including those relating to hiring, wages, hours worked, overtime and working conditions.

Forced Labor

• There shall not be any use of forced labor, whether in the form of prison labor, indentured labor, bonded labor or otherwise.

Discrimination

• Workers must be employed on the basis of their ability to carry out the duties of a particular job without regard to race, gender, nationality, religion, age, disability, marital status or other personal characteristics or beliefs. No person shall be subjected to discrimination in any aspect of employment.

Freedom of Association

• Workers are free to choose whether or not to lawfully organize and join associations. Factories must not interfere with workers who wish to lawfully and peacefully associate, organize or bargain collectively.

Wages, Hours and Overtime

• J.Jill requires its manufacturers and their subcontractors to pay wages and offer benefits and working conditions that comply with the wage and hour laws, rules and regulations, including overtime, of the country of manufacture. Workers must be paid at least the minimum legal wage or the local industry standard, whichever is greater. Except in extraordinary business circumstances, workers shall 1) not be required to work more than the lesser of (a) 48 hours per week and 12 hours overtime or (b) the limits on regular and overtime hours allowed by the law of the country of manufacture or, where the laws of such country do not limit the hours of work, the regular workweek in such country plus 12 hours overtime and 2) be entitled to at least one day off in every seven-day period.

Working Conditions

• Manufacturers and their subcontractors are expected to treat all workers with respect and dignity and provide them with a safe and healthy working environment. Workers must not be subjected to corporal punishment or any other form of physical, psychological, sexual or verbal harassment.

Environment

• Manufacturers and their subcontractors must comply with all applicable environmental laws and regulations.