The following policies apply to our procurement of materials, including wood, paper, fiber and minerals.

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. Wood & Paper Procurement Policy

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (WSI) is committed to the legal, ethical and responsible procurement of the wood and paper used in our products, and paper used in our catalogs. We take a stepwise approach to purchasing responsible wood-based products. Within a framework of sound business discipline, we meet our commitments to our employees, customers, shareholders and other stakeholders.

This policy applies to all wood and paper used in products sold by all WSI brands and paper used in our brand catalogs. WSI is committed to only purchasing wood and paper obtained from known, legal and responsibly managed forests. This includes recycled and rediscovered sources. We do not source wood and paper from:

  • Unknown sources
  • Sources engaged in illegal harvesting or trading
  • Sources violating human rights, and/or engaged in the conflict-timber trade
  • Forests where high conservation values are threatened
  • Forests being converted to plantations or non-forest use
  • Forests that contain species that have been genetically modified

We’re committed to working with vendors to responsibly source all wood and paper, and set time-bound goals to progressively increase the amount of wood and paper sourced from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified sources. WSI has implemented a Responsible Raw Material Standard for Wood, a risk-based framework to evaluate sources of wood and paper based on publicly available data about forest management practices, enforcement of forestry laws, environmental protection, and supply chain transparency and integrity. The Responsible Raw Material Standard for Wood guides our wood and paper sourcing.

Vendor Requirements & Verification

WSI requires its existing and future vendors to act in accordance with this policy. We require our vendors to declare all wood suppliers and wood species used in WSI products and obtain chain-of-custody documents to verify wood material and catalog paper complies with this policy. WSI may require independent, third-party verification that the chain-of-custody documentation and material claims by our vendors and suppliers meet the above requirements.

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. is committed to an ongoing process of developing new and additional company-wide initiatives to protect our environment and promote sustainability, and we review and report on our progress to our stakeholders on an annual basis.

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. Fiber Procurement Policy

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (WSI) is committed to environmental stewardship, specifically, with regard to responsible fiber procurement practices. WSI realizes this commitment by establishing guidelines for our supply chain partners that represent our company’s values and requirements for responsible fiber procurement.

WSI is committed to increasing the use of more responsibly grown, harvested, collected, and processed fibers by supporting initiatives that promote decent work and respect human rights, reduce the use of toxic chemicals found in fertilizers, pesticides, and defoliants, as well as dyestuffs and restricted substances throughout the fiber/fabric production cycle.

WSI is committed to not sourcing cotton grown with the use of child or forced labor. WSI has implemented a Responsible Raw Material Standard for Textiles that guides our business in sourcing textile fibers from responsible and sustainable sources. We will review and update our policy annually to ensure that it reflects changing circumstances, new knowledge and opportunities for WSI.

Vendor Requirements

WSI expects its existing and new Vendors/Suppliers to act in accordance with the standards set forth in this policy. Vendors’/Suppliers’ own procurement practices must comply with this policy in order to do business with WSI. Vendors/Suppliers must:

  • Accurately disclose fiber procurement practices;
  • Designate a person within the company responsible for compliance to implement and follow an internal procurement procedure to ensure that all fiber used in WSI products complies with the WSI policy;
  • Identify upstream suppliers within their supply chain and confirm that these suppliers adhere to WSI policy;
  • Make every effort to identify and disclose country of origin of fiber;
  • Ensure cotton sourced from Uzbekistan is through the Better Cotton platform or certified to GOTS or OCS;
  • Commit to monitoring and assessing forced labor risks in the supply chain and be fully compliant with WSI standards, specific laws and regulations concerning forced labor.

There are additional requirements for Vendors/Suppliers making Responsibly Sourced claims according to our Responsible Raw Material Standard for Textiles. Vendors/Suppliers making such claims must:

  • Meet certification or licensing requirements established by each organization;
  • Maintain certification and testing results continuously throughout production of WSI textile products requiring such certifications or licensing;
  • Provide WSI (or its agents) a copy of valid certificate or test report from appropriate certifying organization, including annual renewals.

Verification

To verify compliance of Vendors/Suppliers with these requirements, WSI may require independent, third-party verification. Vendors/Suppliers must, upon request, provide documentation evidencing supply chain partners and/or specific fiber procurement transactions (i.e., transaction certificates). Vendors/Suppliers must:

  • Maintain accurate records of fiber procurement transactions intended for use in WSI textile products
  • Provide accurate summary reports on fiber procurement volumes (quantities)
  • Maintain all required documentation and records for a minimum of 24 months

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. is committed to an ongoing process of developing new and additional company-wide initiatives to protect our environment and promote social responsibility, and we intend to review and report on our progress to our stakeholders on an annual basis.

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. Conflict Minerals Law Compliance Policy

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (“WSI”) is committed to corporate responsibility and sustainable practices.  As part of that commitment, WSI is ensuring that metals and other minerals contained in our products are obtained, produced and used in an environmentally and socially responsible manner.  As such, we are working to implement and ensure full compliance with section 1502 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act that was signed into law in 2010 relating to trade in conflict minerals.

The conflict-minerals provision of the Dodd-Frank Act is intended to address the situation in the mining industry in parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and neighboring countries in Africa, where warlords controlling local mines engage in deplorable human-rights abuses and use mining proceeds to fund regional conflicts.  The law calls upon companies to provide information to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regarding whether the subject minerals (and their derivatives) – cassiterite, columbite-tantalite (coltan), gold, and wolframite, which are commonly referred to as “3TGs” and are used for the manufacture of certain products – originate from conflict mines in the DRC or neighboring countries.  The conflict minerals provision applies to 3TGs that are necessary to the functionality or production of products that are manufactured or contracted to manufacture.

Enforcement and Monitoring of Compliance with this Policy

To ensure compliance with section 1502 of the Dodd-Frank Act and to remain committed to our corporate responsibility goals, we are putting in place several practices that were developed by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and endorsed by the U.S. Department of State to incorporate proper due diligence measures into our supply chain regarding trade in conflict minerals.  These practices provide guidance for responsible sourcing and the procurement and use of 3TGs from conflict-free mines:

  • Establish strong company management systems;
  • Identify and assess risk in the supply chain;
  • Design and implement a strategy to respond to identified risks;
  • Carry out independent third-party audit of supply chain due diligence at identified points in the supply chain; and
  • Report on supply chain due diligence.

WSI will work to identify and eliminate the use of and sourcing of conflict minerals in its supply chain.  Additionally, we will need the full cooperation of our supply chain business partners in order to meet our compliance goals.  This involves communicating our Conflict Minerals Law Compliance Policy to our supply chain partners and asking them to provide us with verifiable evidence that the procurement and use of 3TGs from conflict-free mines is being carried out.

We take our commitment to our corporate responsibility goals and our compliance with conflict minerals law very seriously.  As such, we will undertake every effort possible to ensure full compliance.  All information we provide to the SEC in compliance with the conflict-minerals law will be available to the public through our website.  Additionally, WSI intends to strengthen its due diligence program as additional tools become available, and review & update its policy as necessary.