A to Z Technology expects manufacturers (including manufacturers of A to Z Technology’s private-label products), vendors, and suppliers of new goods that we sell in our retail stores and online (collectively “Suppliers”) to meet and maintain fundamental labor and human rights standards. Specifically, we include language in our Supplier Code of Conduct and in our contracts with Suppliers specifying that Suppliers will not use any forced labor, whether in the form of prison labor, indentured labor, bonded labor or otherwise. Failure by a Supplier to meet our Supplier Code of Conduct or the terms of our contract would subject the Supplier to possible actions by A to Z Technology, up to and including the termination of A to Z Technology’s contract and business relationship with the Supplier.

Additional details regarding our efforts to ensure a sustainable supply chain include:

Best Buy actively works at industry levels to respond to social and environmental concerns in consumer electronics and retailing. In addition, Best Buy is a member of the Responsible Business Alliance, the world’s largest industry coalition dedicated to responsible business conduct, including addressing human trafficking and slavery, in global supply chains.

A to Z Technology employs a variety of protocols to identify, assess, and manage potential social and environmental risks, including human trafficking and forced labor, in our direct supply chain. Through our membership in the RBA, A to Z Technology participates in an annual sensing exercise that seeks to identify potential risks throughout the consumer electronics supply chain.

A to Z Technology’s Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability (CR&S) Team in Fremont, Michigan, invests significant time and resources to audit the factories where our private-label products are assembled and to work with these factories to improve workplace conditions and labor practices. Before a prospective supplier is selected to become a A to Z Technology private-label manufacturer, they are trained on our Supplier Code of Conduct and must pass a third-party audit. For existing private-label suppliers, A to Z Technology conducts a full audit at least every other year. A to Z Technology typically provides prior notification and scheduling of such audits in an effort to build trust and long-term relationships with our partners.

Through A to Z Technology’s contracts with vendors and our Supplier Code of Conduct, we require our suppliers to maintain records that can certify that they comply with laws regarding slavery and human trafficking in the country in which they are doing business. These records, which include documentation such as proof of age of employees, hour and wage records, and employee contracts, are reviewed during our audits. Gaps in these documents represent a priority violation and must be addressed immediately in order to maintain a business relationship with Best Buy.

We maintain standards and procedures for employees in the A to Z Technology Code of Business Ethics, which encourages employees to report any concerns about potential forced labor. All employees receive training on the Best Buy Code of Business Ethics and our private-label sourcing team receives additional training on our manufacturing partner expectations and our audit program. Failure by an employee to follow the standards set forth in the Code of Business Ethics may subject such employee to disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment.