Responsibility

Our commitment to the environment

All Barrette Outdoor Living facilities are committed to being environmentally responsible. Each distribution center has a recycle program in place, and employees are committed to doing all they can to reuse and recycle non-useable parts, pieces and packaging that come into our facilities.

Brooksville, FL occupies 200,000 square feet of manufacturing space in a state-of-the-art facility. Their sustainability initiatives include:

• Recycling of all cardboard & paper
• Recycling of all aluminum scrap from manufacturing process
• Recycling a majority of wood

In addition:

• The plant replaced (300) metal halide light with (180) T5 energy efficient lights (40% more efficient)
• The plant uses variable speed air compressors with (2) 400 gallon storage tanks (reduces electrical cost by 35%)
• The plant uses “paperless” payroll system. Employee go “on line” to review his/her direct deposit or to print a copy if required

Flint, MI distribution center has over 165,000 square feet of manufacturing space. Their sustainability initiatives include:

• The plant is inherently Green when it comes to materials – 100% of the production scrap is recycled. If it cannot be used directly into existing products it’s sold off to a scrap vendor.
• An extensive cardboard recycling program that cut dumpster usage by over 70%.
• A program is in place for all pallets received and wood scrap from our pallet shop. Nothing to the landfill, it can all be recycled.
• They recycle a large portions of plastic packaging from deliveries of goods. This material can then be used directly in some of our products.
• All junk mail, printed publications and any other paper materials are recycled.
• There are several recycling containers for consumer products around the facility to promote recycling with our employees

Bulls Gap, TN is located on approximately 70 acres, and houses a 550,000 square foot manufacturing building. Very little goes to landfill:

• They recycle all PVC scrap back into the substrate of our product so none goes to landfill
• They segregate, bundle and sell all plastic film, plastic banding and corrugated scrap to eliminate landfill costs
• They grind all wood and supply area farmers
• They also have their process cooling water on a closed loop system

In 2008, the Bulls Gap plant received the State of Tennessee Environment Stewardship Award for reduction in waste.

At Barrette, We Care.  Compliance with California’s Transparency in Supply Chains Act

Human trafficking and forced labor is a global issue that requires the combined efforts of countries and companies to raise awareness and combat all forms of trafficking. The United Nations defines it as an act of recruiting, transporting, transferring, harboring or receiving a person through a use of force, coercion or other means, for the purpose of exploiting them. Every country is affected by human trafficking, and men, women, and children can fall victim. Barrette Outdoor Living has taken proactive steps to mitigate the risk of human trafficking and forced labor in our supply chain.

Verification

In order to verify that Barrette Outdoor Living’s product supply chains do not use goods produced by forced or child labor, we regularly review updates to the U.S. Department of Labor’s List of Products Produced by Forced or Indentured Child Labor so we can more closely monitor factories that may operate in the countries listed. Factories are also required to go through a rigorous approval process before they join our supply chain, including working with Sourcing, Sustainability, and Quality Assurance departments to make sure the factories meet company standards.

Auditing

To ensure all the factories in our supply chain are fulfilling their obligation, Barrette Outdoor Living engages an independent third party who is on-the-ground, and who visits the factories that supply our products. Each audit consists of a factory walk-through, confidential interviews with workers, and a review of relative documentation (e.g. payroll, time records, employee age verification, etc.). We typically audit factories once per year, but we can visit more or less depending on the factory’s performance and track record.

Certification

All business partners are contractually required to adhere to Barrette Outdoor Living’s zero tolerance for slave, involuntary, or child labor, which states “Barrette Outdoor Living will not tolerate the use of convict, indentured, slave, bonded, or other forced involuntary labor, including human trafficking, either directly or indirectly, by its vendors, or by any subcontractors utilized by its vendors.” When a vendor accepts a purchase order, they are confirming their compliance with our zero-tolerance stance on human trafficking and forced labor.

Internal Accountability

We have a zero-tolerance policy for involuntary labor, human trafficking, and child labor. If any of these findings are uncovered during an audit, the factory must take immediate steps to correct the problem. The factory is required to alert Barrette Outdoor Living on how they are correcting the issue and Barrette Outdoor Living will work directly with the factory to ensure there are no recurrences. In addition, a full follow-up audit will be performed at the factory 6 months later to confirm the issue has been resolved.

Training and Awareness

All internal managers directly involved in Supply Chain Management undergo training on human trafficking and slavery that discusses the risks of human trafficking for business, and actions that can be taken to mitigate the risks.