"Based on an annual country risk assessment process, we identified the following countries in our Tier One supply chain as highest risk for forced labor: Cambodia, China, India, Mexico, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Taiwan (ROC), Thailand, Turkey and Vietnam. The risk assessment is based on data from the US Department of State (Trafficking in Persons Report) and US Department of Labor(List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor), as well as supplier information and industry non-governmental organization (NGO) reports."
" In 2018, New Balance worked with third-party experts to conduct a human rights and environmental risk assessment for our Tier Two supply chain, guided by the United Nations (UN) Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains in the Garment and Footwear Sector. Our assessment focused on 12 risk areas identified by the OECD Guidance, including issues such as child and forced labor. As an outcome of the risk assessment, forced labor risks in textile mills and other material suppliers in Taiwan were identified as a priority focus area."
"New Balance continues to monitor the reports of forced labor in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) of China in the apparel supply chain."
"We continue to work on mapping our supply chain further upstream for cotton and other materials to identify potential risks. We are also engaging with a wide variety ofindustry stakeholders to better understand upstream supply chain risk and due diligence approaches and what actions New Balance can take to uphold the human rights of workers throughout our global supply chain"