19 Jan 2022 – The International Olympic Committee (IOC) conducted third-party due diligence on suppliers that produced its own branded products for the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022. This work, which started in September 2021 and is aligned with the IOC’s Supplier Code, did not find any forced, bonded, indentured or child labour.

The IOC responsible sourcing framework

The IOC follows a responsible sourcing approach by which the sourcing of its products and services is carried out with environmental, social and ethical considerations in mind. This is aligned with Olympic Agenda 2020+5 and the IOC’s Sustainability Strategy. The IOC’s approach to responsible sourcing consists of a rigorous policy framework, the IOC Supplier Code, a due diligence process including third-party social audits, and the prompt remediation of any non-compliances.

IOC third-party social audits are commissioned and paid for directly by the IOC. These audits are conducted by independent third-party audit and monitoring firms with in-depth knowledge of the markets in which key IOC products are manufactured. They are designed with a “beyond audit” framework in mind. As such, they also assess the root causes of non-compliance and have a stronger focus on meaningful engagement with workers on their working conditions. The audit teams always interact with workers in their own languages and away from management. This allows IOC audits to more reliably identify sensitive issues, such as discriminatory practices or harassment. The IOC audits last on average twice as long as standard social audits and involve at least two auditors per site.

Due diligence conducted for IOC suppliers for Beijing 2022

The IOC carried out due diligence on suppliers that produce its own branded products for the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022*. This includes Hengyuanxiang Group (HYX Group) and Anta Sports.

As part of this due diligence process, the IOC directly requested proofs of origin for the materials used in our apparel and footwear products.

Hengyuanxiang Group (HYX Group): The cotton used in the uniforms (and ordered from a major international trading company) does not originate in China.

Anta Sports: Sustainability considerations were taken into account when designing our uniforms, and recycled materials were used following the Global Recycle Standard. The uniforms do not contain cotton.

These and other production sites were also audited by an independent third party. We did not find any extreme violations against our IOC Supplier Code, including no forced, bonded, indentured or child labour. Non-compliances found, including on health and safety, working hours and wages have been identified and are being remediated as part of our agreed Corrective Action Plans (CAP) with each supplier. This continued engagement with suppliers and their factories helps build awareness of our requirements both on the Supplier Code and around continuous improvement.

For more information.

*For each edition of the Games, the organising committees are responsible for procuring and licensing most of the goods for sales. As far as the IOC is concerned, the products we sourced and audited consist of not-for-resale products for the delegation, such as the IOC uniforms and gifts for our stakeholders (e.g. pins, notebooks, beanies, mittens and bags).