pg. 9

"100% workers in Tier 1 factories can access an independent grievance mechanism"

Pg. 13

“The most common way workers in our factories raise grievances is via a suggestion box, which indicates there is an opportunity for us to support implementing more effective grievance channels.”

pg. 22

“Speak Up! and whistleblowing programme refresh

In 2021 we uplifted our internal reporting mechanisms (via the NAVEX-developed EthicsPoint incident tool) and created a stand-alone Speak Up! and Non-Retaliation Policy that formalises our existing Speak Up! culture already enshrined in the Code of Conduct. These changes not only ensure compliance with the recent EU Directive 2019/1937 on the protection of persons who report breaches of EU law but also support alignment with THE ICONIC’s values by ensuring that employees have all the tools and awareness necessary to raise concerns directly, confidentially, and free from retaliation. Whilst we have focused in 2021 on developing whistleblowing processes and policies internally, we plan to communicate and roll these out to both internal employees and external stakeholders such as factory workers and the wider supply chain in 2022 to further support our ethical business agenda.”

pg. 18

"In-line with the helplines escalation protocol, three calls required our engagement to assist with obtaining a successful outcome. Our engagement ensured a termination payment was made to a worker, and immediate disciplinary action including formal apology to workers, management training and a written warning notice issued related to two instances of verbal and physical abuse given the zero tolerance of issues of this nature. This helpline has provided an effective channel by which workers can see action taken to resolve situations impacting their personal and professional lives. While we have seen an overall increase in the usage of the helpline over the course of the 17 months of its operation, with calls nearly doubling in number every six months, the helpline has seen fluctuations in its use over 2021 with some months seeing very few calls and some with an unusually high volume. To ensure the helpline’s ongoing efficacy, as well as our understanding of its effectiveness, we have maintained monthly calls with the supplier and helpline operator to ensure workers are provided with ongoing training and reminders about the helpline to encourage use. In addition to these measures, in the second half of 2021 helpline reminder SMS notifications were sent to workers. This action saw a marked increase in call volumes with numbers tripling in the four months following the notifications (a useful indicator of its effectiveness). Recognising the systemic nature of verbal and physical abuse experienced by workers in Bangladesh factories8 we are also committed to ensuring that workers in all sourcing regions of our supply chain have access to effective worker dialogue mechanisms and independent grievance mechanisms. We will commence further rollout of these initiatives as per our 2030 strategic commitments."