Corporate Ethics

Corporate Ethics

Social responsibilities

As a global company, Esprit believes in developing and maintaining sustainable relationships with all stakeholders. We demonstrate this commitment by acting imaginatively and consistently in the communities where our employees, business partners and customers live and work.

Responsibilities to employees

Esprit recognises the importance of human capital. Our continued success depends on the commitment, enthusiasm and energy of our staff around the world. We are committed to developing a positive and respectable working environment that encourages collaboration and cooperation between employees. The Group promotes internal communications and we welcome ideas and feedback from our staff. We promote fair working conditions for all employees. In our Code of Conduct, which must be signed by every employee, we outline our values and ethics.

During the financial year, a "Live Esprit" campaign was implemented with the aim of promoting team spirit and creating a global culture for all our employees located around the world. Through quarterly newsletters and the Group’s global intranet, we aim to improve company-wide communications and to connect our employees around the world to the Esprit family.

We strive to be an attractive company for the talented and motivated. The Group places great emphasis on staff training and development in order to realise the potential of every one of our employees. Our remuneration package is performance-based and takes into account business performance, market practice and competitive market conditions. Share options and discretionary bonuses are granted to staff that show outstanding performance. We have also adopted an annual performance and salary review system to ensure staff members are rewarded on a clear and fair basis.

Responsibilities to business partners

At Esprit, we aim to develop and maintain long-term relationships with our business partners based on openness, honesty and trust. We seek to understand their business needs and aim to provide mutual support to ensure that sustainable business partnerships are established.

We are also committed to conducting business in a responsible and suitable manner. Social audits were carried out during the year to ensure suppliers maintain and uphold these standards.

We have also become a member of the Business Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI) established by the Foreign Trade Association (FTA) in 2004, and have communicated to vendors the significance of BSCI certifications as the appropriate accreditation to signify their compliance with human rights and minimum social standards.

Responsibilities to the community

Esprit Cares
To be future-focused, we must also remember our roots. The origins of Esprit are steeped in social impact, doing good through doing business, and leaving a positive legacy through all our actions. Through our Global Esprit Cares program, we have built a culture of volunteerism, raised our voices on social topics, and taken actions towards the betterment of society: It’s how we do business.

Christmas Initiative
Through our Global Esprit Cares network, Esprit partners with local organizations to offer opportunities to give back to the community through in-kind and monetary donations. In Germany, we continued our partnership with Knackpunkt, with which we contributed money in the welfare sector. Knackpunkt is a shelter where teenage girls and women can safely stay overnight, with basic needs such as meals and showers. We donated packages with things that girls and young women could use, for example books or cosmetic products.

Community Outreach
Our international headquarters in Hong Kong donated approximately 15,000 pieces of surgical masks to Hong Kong Cancer Fund (HKCF) , the city’s largest cancer support organization, providing free information and professional support to anyone living with or affected by cancer. The organization helped distribute surgical masks to new cancer patients that recently registered with HKCF and to existing patrons who participate in rehabilitation programs at the four Cancer Care Support Centres. In 2021, HKCF had close to 1,000 newly registered cancer patients. The colourful patterned surgical masks aim to bring a smile and helping hand to the vulnerable in our society, especially in trying times during the pandemic.

Looking back, Esprit has always been about doing good through doing business. We volunteered, we raised our voice on important topics, and we took actions as a company. We’ve done it from the beginning, and we continue to do it today: social impact is in our DNA. Our company origins inform our future: as we march forward, we honor the legacy created by our founders, Doug and Susie Tompkins, by turning around and taking a step forward.