What Impact Has The UNs Global Compact Had on Promoting Good Corporate Citizenship? UN Global Compact Signatory Tweezerman Requires Suppliers to Adhere to the UN Principles

Tweezerman is a leading manufacturer of personal grooming tools for men and women.

GLEN COVE, NY -- Tweezerman, a leading manufacturer of personal care tools, recently announced that it will be implementing a new supplier agreement that mandates adherence to the nine principles of UN Secretary General Kofi Annans Global Compact initiative. Launched in 2000 by the UN, the Global Compact is pledged by companies who are committed to operating their businesses in accordance with the nine universal principles that are drawn from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Labor Organizations (ILO) Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, and the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development.

Tweezerman signed onto the UNs Global Compact last year. Now it is moving from commitment to action. CEO Dal LaMagna says, Its simple: if one of our suppliers does not agree to adhere to the nine principles of the Compact, they will no longer do business with Tweezerman. This action may increase our costs, but we strongly believe that Tweezerman suppliers must agree to follow these nine principles."

Tweezerman has incorporated the Compacts nine principles into its own corporate policy, annual report and employee handbook. The Company followed this action with a self-audit to ensure that Tweezerman is complying with the nine principles. In the coming months, the Tweezerman website will include information on how the company is working towards compliance.

Our first step in the process to bring our suppliers on board the Global Compact mission was to declare our policy that compliance is expected of Tweezerman suppliers. We then engaged Verite, international social auditors, to review our largest supplier, a factory in India, to measure their operations against the UN principles. Audits are planned for other important suppliers in Pakistan and China," LaMagna added.

The nine principles of the UN Global Compact Principles are: to support and respect the protection of internationally proclaimed human rights; to avoid complicity in human rights abuses; to uphold freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining; to eliminate all forms of forced and compulsory labor; to abolish effectively child labor; to eliminate discrimination with respect to employment and occupation; to support a precautionary approach to environmental challenges; to promote greater environmental responsibility; and to encourage the development and diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies.

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