Manolo Blahnik is an iconic, independent British brand responsible for the development, manufacture and distribution of luxury footwear and accessories designed by Mr Manolo Blahnik, Manolo has been designing from his eponymous brand since 1971, learning the craft of shoemaking directly from artisans in their factories in Italy.

As part of our brand values, we believe in treating everyone with honesty and respect while nurturing our teams to deliver excellence. We believe in making people smile.

In this Code of Conduct (“Code”) we refer to Suppliers (“Suppliers”). This means any individual, entity, business, company, partnership or any other body or group that is associated with Manolo Blahnik or supplying products, goods, raw materials, components, services, real estate or anything else, directly or indirectly (“Indirect Supplier”), to any company within the Manolo Blahnik Group (“us”) or otherwise working directly or indirectly with; or on behalf of any company within the Manolo Blahnik Group.

We want to work with Suppliers that share our values and expectations around responsible and sustainable working practices to strengthen our relationships.

One of the ways we can achieve this is to require supply chain partners to join us in upholding the standards and requirements set out in our Code.

Our Code is based on the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Conventions on Labour Standards and our 50 to 500 Commitment to “be a force for good”. Our 50 to 500 Commitment seeks to address the next stage of our journey and implement responsible practices in our business to ensure its continued expansion and success is balanced against our impact on people and the planet. It was launched in 2021 (the 50th anniversary of our brand) and was designed to progressively drive new and more responsible habits benefitting our Environment, Society and Governance policy. With this we are creating a lasting legacy and positively contributing to people and the planet on an internal, local, regional, national and international level.

At Manolo Blahnik our values are:

The Manolo Blahnik Group has further defined its Responsibility Impact Priorities to aspire to create a positive impact in the luxury industry.

By 2030, our goal is to achieve:

“What we produce must aim to provide environmental, social and economic benefits whilst protecting the consumer and the environment over its whole lifecycle.” – Kristina Blahnik

The purpose of this Code is to raise awareness of ethical and sustainable practices and requirements for Suppliers within our supply chain. We build trusted relationships based on shared values and standards and ensure business is conducted in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations, as a minimum.

In agreeing to provide goods or services to us, our Suppliers agree to be bound by this Code in support of our responsibility commitments. We ask that Suppliers read this Code in detail and ensure it is applied by your business, your employees, vendors and sub-contractors where these standards apply to your operations.

The Code will be shared during onboarding of all Suppliers and will additionally be trained periodically, to all MB Branded Footwear and Accessories suppliers (“MB Brand Partners”).

Suppliers are required to adhere to this Code and ensure they have all appropriate policies and measures in place to uphold the principles as set out in the Code.

Manolo Blahnik Group may perform monitoring visits and ad hoc audits to any of the third parties in its Brand Partner supply chain to ensure compliance with the code. Manolo Blahnik will support all its suppliers in continuously improving their processes that enable more sustainable, responsible and safe practices

For clarification contact your Manolo Blahnik contact, the Product Responsibility Manager (productresponsibility@manoloblahnik.com)  or the Legal Team (legal@manoloblahnik.com). 

Anti-bribery and Corruption

Bribery and corruption laws and regulations must be adhered to throughout the supply chain to reduce the damage created in markets and communities. We expect a zero tolerance approach and suppliers should avoid being involved in any activities that could lead to unfair decisions being made. Due diligence and controls should be in place to make sure no improper payments, whether direct or indirect, and gifts or favours, financial and non-financial advantages are offered or received.

For our policy, please refer to the Manolo Blahnik Group Anti Bribery and Corruption Policy.

Whistleblowing

A system for speaking up shall be in place to encourage open and honest relationships and allow all employees, suppliers and subcontractors to report any concerns of non-compliance or misconduct. Genuine concerns must be treated seriously and without any fear of reprisals. Suspected wrongdoing should be investigated and the individual’s confidentiality respected. Concerns can be raised via your direct Manolo Blahnik contact, the Product Responsibility Team (productresponsibility@manoloblahnik.com)  or the Legal Team (legal@manoloblahnik.com). 

For our policy, please ask your contact for more detail on the Manolo Blahnik Whistleblowing Policy.

Gifts and Hospitality

Gifts and Hospitality should not be part of the regular conduct of business and must not be made with the intention of influencing business decisions or creating advantages. Any gifts and hospitality with reference to marketing and public relations activities or to acknowledge an event within the Communications department must be reasonable, proportionate and adequately recorded.

For our policy, please ask your contact for more detail on the Manolo Blahnik Group Gifting Policy.

Data Protection & Privacy

Personal data should be treated in accordance with all relevant data protection and privacy laws. Organisational and technical measures and procedures should be in place to safeguard personal data from loss, unauthorised access or usage, alteration or disclosure. Suppliers processing personal data on behalf of Manolo Blahnik Group will require written instruction to do so and must ensure compliance with all applicable data protection laws and our Group policies on data protection and privacy.

Cyber and Information Security

The integrity, availability and confidentiality of information and systems should be safeguarded throughout the supply chain. We expect suppliers to have appropriate technical measures and procedures in place to meet security standards and comply with the relevant regulatory standards for information security and privacy. Suppliers must inform us, if they become aware of any incident or threat that could affect business critical data or systems.

For our policy, please ask your contact for more detail on the Manolo Blahnik Group Information Security Policy.

Suppliers must adhere to the Manolo Blahnik Group Labour Code, share it with their suppliers and communicate the need for the Manolo Blahnik Group to monitor and verify each of the sections contained within.

General Environmental Laws and Continuous Improvement

We recognise that we have a responsibility to the environment beyond legal and regulatory requirements. An integral part of our business strategy is the commitment to reducing our environmental impact and continually improving our environmental performance. Suppliers are encouraged to do the same.

Waste

Proper management procedures should be in place for the separation of hazardous (potential source of harm) and non-hazardous waste for storage as well as the safe handling, storing, and transportation of waste.

All waste produced should be monitored. This includes non-hazardous waste, hazardous waste, and the amount of waste recycled and disposed of. Disposal should prevent pollution of the surrounding land, water resources and atmosphere. Hazardous waste should be responsibly disposed of with authorised suppliers (including e-waste, batteries, cartridges).

Seek to minimise waste to landfill and recycle everything where possible throughout all processes, your business and supply chain.

Water

Suppliers should:

Chemicals

MB Brand Partners shall comply with all applicable laws and regulations. This includes the restriction, registration and, where necessary, authorisation or notification of chemical substances contained in the end product or production process, according to the statutory requirements that apply to the corresponding market (e.g. EU REACH regulation, California Prop 65, etc). No Manolo Blahnik branded product, component or raw material, shall contain the restricted substances listed in our Product Restricted Substances List (PRSL), in concentrations higher than those listed therein.

In addition, suppliers shall:

For our PRSL, please ask your contact for more details.

Plastics

Suppliers shall do their best to reduce the environmental impact of plastics by:

Climate Impact

Suppliers are encouraged to work towards:

Responsible Sourcing

We are committed to:

For further detail, please refer to the Manolo Blahnik Group Animal Welfare Policy.

Responsible Purchasing

All items procured should adhere to the best possible standards of environmental sustainability

For further detail, please ask your contact for the Manolo Blahnik Group Responsible Purchasing Guidelines.

Ongoing Compliance

In the event we have reasonable cause or belief that any Supplier is not compliant with this code, we shall request that they provide evidence of compliance or an explanation. We may require access to facilities to review, monitor and ensure compliance or engage an independent third party to conduct any such review which may involve speaking with employees and workers on a confidential basis.

We expect Suppliers that engage third parties on their behalf to provide the same rights of access and right to request information from all Suppliers engaged or involved in our supply chain.

Non Compliance

Following non-compliance, our first priority will be to protect and ensure the safety of the individual(s) involved or impacted. In some cases this may mean reporting any non-compliance to the relevant authorities without notice. Where appropriate, we will discuss potential improvements and changes that can be made to ensure adherence and ongoing compliance with this code within a specific time period. In the event of repeated breaches or where remedial measures are not an option, we may decide to suspend, reduce or cancel orders, suspend further production assignments or terminate the relationship with the relevant Supplier in our sole discretion.

For MB Brand Partners non-compliance may be identified via visits to suppliers, the review of audit reports or individuals coming forward through the whistleblowing process. A non-compliance is risk – assessed by severity based on the context of the scale (how serious the impact will be), scope (how widespread the impact will be) and remediability (how hard it would be to put right/ reverse) of the event. Where a breach has been identified it is expected that Brand Partners actively engage in remediation of any of such instances within agreed timeframes.

Further details on the Manolo Blahnik Group Non-Compliance Policy can be requested from your MB contact.

Implementation and Updates

This Code will be sent to all existing and any new Suppliers engaged by us. Suppliers must communicate these standards clearly and accurately to all employees and Suppliers, so they have a full understanding of the principles of this Code. This Code will be updated annually in line with any developments in legislation and industry best practice for supply chain monitoring. Contractually agreed terms will take precedence to the statements in this Code.