Response from New Balance

Proposal C4: Report publicly on how suppliers are chosen and/or eliminated.

New Balance provides some general information on its selection policy, but makes no commitment on CSR performance or on managing the impact of exiting factories.

Full response

"A new supplier must be determined to meet a certain level of standard prior to producing New Balance products as part of our factory selection process. This means undergoing an audit or providing results of a recent audit from a company with standards at least equal to those of New Balance. Factories with management that show indifference to solving problems and working with our compliance teams for improvement, or violate a 'no tolerance' issue, are terminated."

Response Key

The brand claims to implementing all components of this proposal or has agreed to implement them within Play Fair's proposed timeframe.

The brand is currently implementing or has agreed to implement some of the essential components of the proposal but has refused to implement, has overlooked, or has raised issues with one or more important components; or, the brand agrees to implement the proposal but not within Play Fair’s proposed timeframe.

The brand has refused to implement the essential components of the proposal.

The brand has misunderstood or failed to comment on the proposal; or the brand is considering the proposal, but has yet to make a decision.