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CFC Values and Principles

Please read the following important terms and conditions before you submit your Membership Application

These terms set out our respective legal rights and responsibilities in respect of your application and membership of COMMONWEALTH FASHION COUNCIL (“CFC”). By making an application for membership you agree to be bound by these terms and conditions and confirm that the information you have submitted is accurate and complete.

Application Criteria and Fees

  1. In order to be considered to be a member, you must meet pre-set criteria (please see CFC Member Information Pack).  Please check that you / your brand meet this criteria before applying for membership. Applications received which do not meet this criteria will not be considered.
  2. Once the CFC has considered your application, it will notify you if you have been accepted as a member of the CFC.
  3. Membership recognises the ‘brand named’ business set out in the Membership Application and the membership and Member Benefits are for that business only and may not be assigned, sold or otherwise transferred to any other brand, designer or business.
  4. CFC reserves the right, in its absolute discretion, to refuse any membership application for any reason.

Membership Term

  1. Membership is for a 12 month period from the date of acceptance by CFC (“Initial Term”) and, unless cancelled in accordance with the provisions below, will be automatically renewed for consecutive periods of 12 months from the expiry of the Initial Term and each year after it (each a “Renewal Term”). The Initial Term and the Renewal Term shall together be the “Term”.

Membership Fees

  1. The annual turnover of your business will determine your “Membership Category” and “Membership Fee”. The Membership Application Form sets out the Membership Fee payable by you during the Initial Term should the CFC accept your application to become a member.  The Membership Fee for each Renewal Term will be the same as the Membership Fee payable during the Initial Term unless it is varied by the CFC as set out below.
  2. The Membership Fee for the Initial Term and each Renewal Term is payable, in full, within 30 days of the date of a corresponding invoice from the CFC and shall be made by bank transfer to the bank details set out in the invoice. Please use your membership Number as your reference for the payment.
  3. Membership Fees are reviewed periodically and may be varied by CFC.  When any such changes are made, the CFC will provide not less than 60 days’ notice to members and such new Membership Fee will be effective from the start of the next Renewal Term to commence after the date of the notice.

Member Engagement

As a member of the CFC, expects you to:

  1. Support the CFC’s published aims and objectives by sharing expertise with other members and partners through attending events, contributing to insight opportunities and participating in activities and initiatives (where appropriate) as part of the CFC’s non-profit remit;
  2. Keep all contact information up to date to ensure that listings on the CFC website are accurate;
  3. Contribute to the development of the Commonwealth fashion community through open and collaborative dialogue with the CFC;
  4. Act professionally, courteously and responsibly at all CFC events; and
  5. Adhere to business best practice Rules. Where this isn’t possible, raise directly with the CFC for consideration as part of application process. A copy of the best practice Rules can be found as part of the application process within the Commonwealth Fashion Circle Pack.

Member Benefits

  1. You are granted the Member Benefits during the Term of your membership. The list of Member Benefits is set out in the CFC Member Information Pack. The CFC Member Information Pack (and therefore the benefits in it) may change from time to time. Where the benefits granted to you as a member do change, we will let you know accordingly.
  2. Members are not invited to all CFC Events and activities and where members are invited to CFC events access may be subject to availability and/or a further fee.
  3. Admission to CFC events and CFC event venues may also be refused to any member or their guest at the discretion of CFC or venue.   

Cancellation of Membership

  1. If you do not want to renew your membership after the Initial Term or after any Renewal Term, notice must be provided in writing or by email to the CFC in no less than 30 days’ before the commencement of the next Renewal Term. Notice received less than 30 days’ before the commencement of the next Renewal Term will not be effective until the following year and, as such, you will be obliged to pay the Membership Fee in the forthcoming Renewal Term. 
  2. Cancelling your membership via verbal instruction to any employee of CFC is not sufficient to cancel your membership. In the event of a dispute proof of postage requesting cancellation, hand delivered letters countersigned/photocopied by a CFC employee or e-mail are the only formats accepted as confirmation of cancellation.
  3. You have the right to cancel your membership at any time. If you cancel your membership, you will have no claim to any refund of Membership Fees paid and all Membership Fees due but not yet paid will immediately become due and payable by you.

Termination of Membership

  1. CFC reserves the right to immediately terminate your membership for the following reasons on giving you written notice of the same if: (i) you have committed a breach of any of the terms hereof and (where such breach is capable of being remedied) shall have failed to remedy the same within 30 (thirty) days of receiving a notice specifying the breach and requiring its remedy; (ii) you engage in conduct which, in the reasonable opinion of the CFC, reflects unfavourably on the good name, goodwill, reputation or image of CFC, the membership programme, or other members; or (iii) you fail to pay any Membership Fee when due and fail to remedy the same within 5 working days of the date of a reminder notice from the CFC that payment is overdue.
  2. In the event that membership is terminated for one of these reasons, without prejudice to the CFC’s other rights and remedies, you acknowledge that no refund of any Membership Fees paid will be made to you. On termination of your membership, all rights connected with your membership shall immediately cease.

Disclaimer, Liability and General Terms

  1. Whilst CFC endeavours to ensure the accuracy of information and material supplied to Members (including in the CFC Member Information Pack and on the CFC website and at events), no warranty is given about the accuracy of such information and materials.
  2. CFC reserves the right to vary these terms (including the documents referred to in them) from time to time. We will make you aware of any variations that we make.
  3. Nothing in these terms shall exclude or in any way limit either party’s liability for fraud, death or personal injury caused by its negligence or any other liability to the extent such liability may not be excluded or limited as a matter of law.  Subject to the foregoing, the CFC shall not in any event be liable to pay compensation or damages to you (for whatever reason such compensation or damages may be due) in relation to these terms or the rights granted under them, greater than the amount of the Membership Fees received by the CFC in the particular year of the Term to which the action or claim relates.
  4. During the Term, the parties acknowledge and agree that the BFC may access, receive, generate, store and/or otherwise process personal data relating to you in order to process your application for membership and to fulfil its obligations to you under these membership terms when you become a member. The types of personal data include names, address, other contract information, financial data. You acknowledge that the CFC shall be the data controller of the data processed in connection with your membership. We both agree to comply with the obligations imposed on us by applicable Data Protection Legislation. “Data Protection Legislation” means the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 together with all other applicable laws and regulations relating to the processing of personal data and privacy, including without limitation, any binding guidance and codes of practice issued from time to time by any relevant supervisory authority.
  5. Nothing in this Agreement excludes or limits either party’s liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence or for any other act which cannot be excluded or limited by law.  Subject to the foregoing, the CFC shall not in any event be liable to pay compensation or damages to you in relation to these terms or your membership (or the rights granted as part of the membership) greater than the amount of Membership Fee received by you in connection with the particular membership year to which such action or claim arises.
  6. The terms are governed by English law and the parties subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts.

Welcome 

1.1          Welcome to the Commonwealth Fashion Council website at www.commonwealthfashioncouncil.org (“Website”). 

1.2          The Website is operated by CFC (“we”, “us”, “our”). Our registered office is Ground Floor 7 Bell Yard Road London, England, United Kingdom, The Commonwealth WC2A 2JR under Commonwealth Fashion Council registered in England under company number 11540475

1.3          Access to and use of our Website is subject to the terms and conditions set out on this page (“Terms of Use”), as well as our Privacy Notice and our Cookie Policy.

1.4          By accessing our Website you agree to our Terms of Use. If you have any questions about them, please contact us using the contact details at the end of these Terms of Use.

  1. Our terms of use

2.1          Please ensure that you have read and understood our Terms of Use, our Privacy Notice and our Cookie Policy. We recommend that you save and/or print a copy for future reference.

2.2          From time to time, we may vary our Terms of Use. The revised Terms of Use will be available on our Website. Please check back regularly to ensure you are aware of any variations we may make. If you continue to use our Website after we make any changes, you will be deemed to have accepted any variations to our Terms of Use. If you do not agree to such variations, we ask you not to use our Website. These Terms of Use were last updated on the date stated at the top of this page.  

  1. Accuracy and availability of our websites

3.1          We do our best to make sure that our Website is accurate, up-to-date and free from bugs, but we cannot promise that it will be and you are responsible for putting in place your own internet security and safety measures.

3.2          Our Website is provided free of charge and has not been developed to meet your specific requirements. We cannot promise that it will be fit or suitable for your specific purposes. 

3.3          Materials posted on our Website are provided for general information purposes only and to inform you about us and our news, features, products and services. This information is not intended as any form of advice and should not be relied on as such. Any reliance that you may place on the information on this Website is at your own risk.

3.4          Access to our Website is permitted on a temporary basis and we reserve the right to suspend or terminate access to any part of it at any time without notice.

3.5          We update our Website regularly and reserve the right to add, remove and otherwise change its content at any time without notice. 

  1. Access to our websites

4.1          You are responsible for making all arrangements necessary to access our Website (and for any costs of doing so). In particular, you are responsible for ensuring that your computer and/or portable device is compatible with our Website. 

4.2          You are responsible for ensuring that all persons accessing the Website through your internet connection are aware of these Terms of Use. 

4.3          Our Website is intended for use only by those who can access it from within the United Kingdom. If you choose to access our Website from locations outside the United Kingdom, you are responsible for compliance with local laws.

4.4          We want you and others to enjoy using our Website. When doing so, we ask that you observe the following rules: 

(a)           you are not permitted to use, or cause others to use, any automated system or software to extract content or data from our Website;

(b)          you agree not to use our Website for any illegal or unauthorised purpose and you agree to comply with all laws and regulations applicable to your use of our Website, including copyright and other intellectual property laws;

(c)           you must not attempt to restrict another user of our Website from using or enjoying our Website and you must not encourage others to breach our Terms of Use;

(d)          you must not interfere with our Website or any servers or networks connected to our Website, including by transmitting any worms, viruses, malware, spyware or any other code of a destructive, malicious or disruptive nature. You must not inject content or code or otherwise alter or interfere with the way any page of our Website is rendered or displayed in a user’s browser or device; 

(e)           you must not change, modify or alter our Website or change, modify or alter another website so as to inaccurately imply an association with our Website or with us; 

(f)            you must not access our Website via a means we have not authorised in writing in advance, including automated devices, scripts, bots, spiders, crawlers or scrapers (except for standard search engine technologies); and

(g)           you must not use, or cause others to use, any automated system or software to extract content or data from our Website except where you or any applicable third party has entered into a written agreement with us that permits such activity.

 4.5          If you breach any of our Terms of Use, or any of the other terms and policies referred to in our Terms of Use, your ability to access and use our Website may be terminated by us immediately, where possible by giving written notice to you using the contact details you provide to us. 

  1. Accessing your account

It on our Website, you will be required to select a user name and password and provide other personal information. Your account details are personal to you and you must keep such information confidential and not disclose them to any other person. We will be entitled to treat any action carried out through your account as being carried out by you. You must notify us immediately if you have reason to believe that your account details may have been compromised or used by any other person. We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your access to your account for any reason in our discretion. 

  1. Your privacy & cookies

6.1          The privacy of your personal information is important to us. Any personal information that you provide to us will be dealt with in accordance with our Privacy Notice, which explains what personal information we collect from you, how and why we collect, store, use and share such information, your rights in relation to your personal information and how to contact us and supervisory authorities if you have a query or complaint about the use of your personal information. 

6.2          Our Website also uses cookies and similar technologies. Some of these are necessary for the operation of our Website, some provide specific features and functionality and others are used to collect information to help us analyse how our Website is used. Please see our Cookie Policy for more details of how we use cookies and similar technologies.

  1. Our intellectual property rights 

7.1          Our Website and its contents are protected by certain rights, including registered and unregistered intellectual property rights (“Rights”). These Rights belong either to us or to our licensors. We and our licensors expressly reserve all Rights in and to our Website and its contents. In particular, we reserve all Rights in the name “COMMONWEALTH FASHION COUNCIL”, “CFC”, “COMMONWEALTH FASHION”, the “commonwealthfashioncouncil.org” domain name and all related domain names, trade marks, logos, brand names and/or trading names appearing on our Website. Nothing in these Terms grants you any legal rights in our Website or its contents other than as necessary to enable you to access and use our Website in accordance with these Terms of Use. The use of any trade marks on our Website is strictly prohibited unless you have our prior written permission.

7.2          You may only view, print out, use, quote from and cite our Website and its contents for your own personal, non-commercial use on the condition that you give appropriate acknowledgment to us where appropriate and you do not remove our copyright or other proprietary notices.

  1. Uploading your content to our website

8.1          On certain parts of our Website, you may be invited to upload materials to our Website (“Your Content”). If you choose to upload materials, you must ensure that Your Content complies with the terms and conditions in the separate agreement we have with you regarding such content.

  1. Our liability to you

9.1          Consumers have certain legal rights when using our Website. These are also known as “statutory rights” as they are derived from laws such as the Consumer Rights Act 2015. Nothing in these Terms of Use affects these rights. In particular, we do not exclude our liability for: (a) death or personal injury caused by negligence; (b) fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation; or (c) any matter for which it would be illegal for us to limit or exclude our liability.

9.2          We will not be liable for any loss that is not caused by us or that was caused by any event or circumstance beyond our reasonable control.

9.3          Except as stated in clause 9.1: (a) we shall not be liable for any loss of profits or revenue, loss of anticipated savings, loss of or damage to data or loss of goodwill; and (b) our maximum liability to you in respect of your use of our Website or any matter arising under or in connection with these Terms of Use is £50.

  1. Your liability to us

Any use by you of the Website or its contents in a manner not expressly permitted by our Terms of Use may mean that you are infringing our Rights and/or the Rights of our licensors. We and our licensors reserve all rights and remedies available in respect of any such infringement.

  1. Linking to our website 

11.1       You may link to any page of our Website, provided that you do so for non-commercial purposes and in a way that is fair and legal and which does not damage our reputation or take advantage of it. For the avoidance of doubt, the linking site must not contain any adult or illegal material or any material that is offensive, harassing or otherwise objectionable. We reserve the right to withdraw linking permission at any time and without notice. 

11.2       You must not link to our Website in such a way as to suggest any form of association, approval or endorsement on our part where none exists and you must not remove, obscure or modify in any way any advertisements, copyright notice, or other information on our Website. Our Website must not be framed on any other website. 

  1. Third party websites & services

12.1       Our Website may contain links to third party websites and services. If you decide to visit any third party website or use a third party service, or purchase products from that third party, you do so at your own risk and subject to the terms and conditions on their website. It is your responsibility to satisfy yourself as to the reputation of such third parties and the services they offer. We are not responsible for the content, accuracy or opinions expressed on third party websites or services. Links that we make available do not imply that we are, or our Website is, affiliated to or associated with such websites or services. 

12.2       Your browsing and interaction on any other website or your use of other services, including websites and services which have a link to or from our Website, is subject to that operator’s own rules and policies. In particular, third party websites will process your personal information in accordance with their own privacy notices. Please read all applicable third party policies and terms and conditions before proceeding.

  1. General provisions & applicable law 

13.1       You may not assign, sub-license or otherwise transfer any rights under our Terms of Use. 

13.2       If any provision of our Terms of Use is found to be invalid for any reason, the invalidity of that provision will not affect the remaining provisions of our Terms of Use, which will remain in full force and effect.

13.3       If we fail to exercise any right or remedy under our Terms of Use, our failure does not constitute a waiver of that right or remedy. Any waiver must be in writing and signed by us.

13.4       The laws of England and Wales will apply to our Terms of Use and your use of our Website. The courts of England and Wales will have exclusive jurisdiction over any claim relating to our Website or our Terms of Use, except that residents of Scotland and Northern Ireland may bring a claim in the courts of Scotland or Northern Ireland, respectively. 

  1. Enquiries & complaints

14.1       Please contact info@commonwealthfashioncouncil.org

Introduction

Commonwealth Fashion Council (“CFC” sometimes “Commonwealth Fashion”) serves communities around the world, working to achieve our charitable purpose. That’s why we seek to act in accordance with internationally-recognised human rights and standards, including the International Bill of Human Rights, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work and the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, making them integral to the way we operate. We’re working to guard against being complicit in human rights violations and to uphold the human rights of our people and any other individuals that we’re in contact with, either directly or indirectly.

Scope

Our Human Rights Policy applies to all CFC staff and Partners. We also expect our suppliers to respect and adhere to this policy, which is addressed in our Global Third Party Code of Conduct.

Principles

We will:

  • Seek to avoid causing or contributing to adverse human rights impacts through our own activities and address such impacts, if they do occur, in a timely and appropriate manner.
  • Seek to prevent or mitigate adverse human rights impacts that are directly related to our operations, products and services through our business relationships.
  • Provide for or cooperate in their remediation through legitimate processes, if we identify that we have caused or contributed to adverse human rights impacts.
  • Continue to look for ways to support the promotion of human rights within our operations and our sphere of influence.
    Policy
    This sets out our position with respect to human rights and modern slavery and sits alongside our Employment Manual, Health and Safety Policy, Global Human Rights Statement and the Global Third Party Code of Conduct. Please refer to our Modern Slavery Statement, to learn about the actions we’ve taken to uphold this policy in the most recent year.
    Our statements below draw upon the International Bill of Human Rights and the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work:
  1. Child Labour: CFC will not use child labour and will comply with all relevant laws in this regard. We do, however, support legitimate workplace apprenticeships, internships and other similar programmes that comply with the applicable laws and regulations.
  2. Modern slavery: CFC will not use forced, bonded or involuntary labour, and workers are not required to lodge ‘deposits’ or identity papers with the firm and can leave after giving reasonable notice, with all wages owed to be paid. We have a zero-tolerance approach towards human trafficking.
  3. Health, Safety and Hygiene: All CFC employees will work in an environment that is both safe and healthy, in line with our UK Health and Safety Policy.
  4. Discipline: CFC prohibits physical abuse or discipline, the threat of physical abuse, sexual or other harassment and verbal abuse or other forms of intimidation. Disciplinary and grievance procedures are clearly documented and communicated to all employees in our Employment Manual. All disciplinary measures of a serious nature are recorded and actioned.
  5. Freedom of Association and Employee Representation: CFC recognises that all its employees have the right to form and join organisations of their own choosing as long as this does not contravene the firm’s External Appointments Guidance and Process policy, which ensures our independence, in line with the regulatory requirements of our business. The firm takes active measures to seek employees’ views about the firm, respects employees’ rights to belong to trade unions and fully complies with our legal obligations to inform and consult employees.
  6. Working Hours: CFC will ensure that working hours are reasonable and comply with the law and industry standards.
  7. Equality of Treatment: CFC is fully committed to eliminating discrimination in recruitment, training and working conditions, on grounds of race, colour, sex, age, religion, political opinion, national extraction, sexual orientation, disability or social origin and to promoting equality of opportunity and treatment as outlined in the Employment Manual.
  8. Employment terms: CFC will provide written and clear contracts which detail the terms and conditions of its staff employment. We will ensure that work performed by employees is on the basis of recognised employment law and practice.
  9. Remuneration: CFC will, at a minimum, provide wages and benefits that meet national standards. We are an accredited Living Wage employer, which also extends to key suppliers working on our premises. We will provide employees with clear written information on their pay and conditions. The firm prohibits deductions from employees’ wages as a disciplinary measure. CFC is committed to equal pay and benefits for men and women for work of equal value.

Grievance and remediation

Where a human rights violation is identified, we’ll work with all parties involved to seek access to remedy, compensation and justice for the victim. We’ll also investigate the root cause so that we can take appropriate steps to prevent such a violation reoccurring.

Why do we need this policy?

We are committed to high standards of integrity, honesty and professionalism in all that we do. We all have a right and responsibility to speak up if there are any concerns or if we notice any behaviour that contravenes our values. 

Who needs to follow the policy and procedure outlined in this document and why?

All board members, executives, and employee.

What’s our policy and how will we implement it?

You do not need to wait for proof when reporting wrongdoing: you only need to have a reasonable concern. It is not for you to investigate or prove that your concerns are justified, that is our responsibility.

Whistleblowing is the term used when an employee passes on information concerning wrongdoing. It can be referred to as ‘making a disclosure’ or ‘blowing the whistle.’

You should ‘blow the whistle’ if you have a concern, that you reasonably believe is of public interest, about the conduct of others in the organisation or the way in which the organisation is run. 

You’re protected by law if you reasonably believe that the disclosure tends to show past, present or likely future wrongdoing falling into one or more of the following categories:

  • A criminal offence, for example fraud
  • Someone’s health and safety is in danger
  • Risk or actual damage to the environment
  • A miscarriage of justice
  • A breach of a legal obligation
  • You believe someone is covering up wrongdoing

If you ‘blow the whistle’ or raise a concern, you will not be treated unfairly or lose your job.

This policy and procedure sets out how to raise a concern and the process this will follow.

Raising a concern

To raise a concern around perceived wrongdoing, that you reasonably believe is of public interest, in the first instance you should raise a concern with the Founder and CEO Daniel Hatton. 

If you feel that you cannot speak to Founder and CEO Daniel Hatton make contact with a member of the board of directors.

Anonymous whistleblowing process

We encourage you to raise your concern in your own name wherever possible. It is easier for us to investigate, and we can keep you updated on the issues or concerns you have raised.

If you need to, you can still raise a concern anonymously. This is better than saying nothing about a serious wrongdoing. If you want to raise your concern anonymously and do not want other people to know about it, we will respect this as far as possible, and restrict information to a ‘need to know’ basis. In such cases, we will inform you about the proposed use of your personal information and discuss potential safeguards that may be taken to protect you from identification.

However, it is important to note that there may be occasions when we are unable to resolve a concern without revealing a whistleblower’s identity.

In instances where the whistle-blower does not provide their contact details, we are unable to enter into any communication with them. Additionally, anonymous reporting may also create challenges relating to an investigation as the organisation or investigator are unable to contact them to obtain further information or clarifications. 

Investigation

Once a concern has been raised, the person receiving the complaint will investigate the matter themselves or immediately pass the issue to someone in a more appropriate position.

A meeting with the whistleblower (who may be accompanied by a colleague who is not involved in the area of work to which the concern relates) will be arranged to gather all the information needed to understand the situation.

In some situations, the matter may be concluded informally with satisfactory explanations. It is important to note that if the matter is concluded in this way and the disclosure was found to be untrue, it does not automatically mean that it was raised maliciously.

If necessary, a formal investigation will be carried out. If there are any other individuals involved they will be invited to an investigation meeting to discuss the matter and to gather facts.

Once all relevant information has been gathered, the line manager or person who carried out the investigation, will then prepare a written report for the CEO (if appropriate)  or if the CEO (if appropriate) has investigated then this will be given to the chair of the board.

On conclusion of any investigation, the outcome will be shared with the whistleblower together with confirmation of what has been done or is proposed to be done about it. If no action is to be taken, the reason for this will be explained