Dignity, safety and fairness — non-negotiable.
Our Code of Conduct mirrors the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the ILO core conventions. We protect worker rights across our own operations and require the same of every supplier in our value chain.
100%
Sites at living wage
0
Confirmed violations
180+
Suppliers audited
Lead is the risk. Everything else follows from that.
We align with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the ILO core conventions. Worker dignity is treated with the same rigour as financial controls.
In this industry a human-rights policy that does not start with lead exposure is not a serious one. Lead-acid batteries contain lead plates and sulphuric acid. Handled in a controlled environment with protective equipment and exposure monitoring, the risk is manageable. Handled informally — which is how a large share of the sector operates — it causes irreversible harm to workers and to the communities around them.
- Living-wage commitment across all sites
- Independent grievance mechanism for every worker and contractor
- Annual supplier human-rights audits
Benchmarked to cost of living, not to the legal floor.
Wages are benchmarked above local statutory minimums and indexed to cost-of-living surveys, published in our annual disclosures.
The distinction between a minimum wage and a living wage is not rhetorical. Statutory minimums are set politically and often lag inflation by years; a cost-of-living index moves with the actual price of housing and food in that market. Indexing to the second is what stops real pay eroding quietly between reviews.
A channel that bypasses the line manager.
An independent, multi-language grievance channel available to every worker and contractor, with case-management oversight external to line management.
Two design choices carry the weight. Extending the channel to contractors matters because contractors are usually the most exposed and the least protected group on any site. Multi-language matters because a grievance process that only operates in the head-office language is not available to the people most likely to need it. The channel connects to the same reporting route described under compliance governance.
The real risk sits upstream.
Tier-1 suppliers undergo annual human-rights audits — over 180 audited to date — with corrective-action plans where findings arise and contract termination in serious cases.
The most severe human-rights risk in the lead-acid chain is not in refurbishment. It is in recycling. Informal lead smelting operates without extraction, without protective equipment and often within residential areas, and it is a documented source of lead poisoning across several of our markets. Where a battery goes at true end of life is therefore a human-rights decision as much as an environmental one, which is why our circular model routes end-of-life units only to licensed recyclers.
Termination is the part of a supplier policy that is easy to write and hard to use, because it costs the buyer as well as the supplier. A policy with no termination clause is an aspiration; one with a clause that is never exercised is worse, because it looks like assurance.
Explore the seven pillars.
- FAQs
Labour and human rights — frequently asked questions.
What are the main labour risks in battery refurbishment?
Lead exposure is the defining occupational risk. Lead-acid batteries contain lead plates and sulphuric acid, and informal handling causes serious long-term harm to workers and surrounding communities. Controlled environments, protective equipment, exposure monitoring and licensed waste routing are what separate a regulated operation from an informal one.
Does ReStore Life pay a living wage?
Wages are benchmarked above local statutory minimums and indexed to cost-of-living surveys rather than fixed at the legal floor. ReStore Life reports living-wage coverage across 100% of sites, published in annual disclosures.
How can a worker or contractor raise a concern?
Through an independent, multi-language grievance channel available to every worker and contractor, with case-management oversight external to line management. Reporting is anonymous, and the channel connects to the same whistleblower route used for compliance concerns.
Does ReStore Life audit its suppliers on human rights?
Yes. Tier-1 suppliers undergo annual human-rights audits — over 180 audited to date — with corrective-action plans issued where findings arise and contract termination in serious cases.
Which human rights frameworks does ReStore Life follow?
The Code of Conduct mirrors the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the ILO core conventions, covering freedom of association, collective bargaining, and the elimination of forced labour, child labour and workplace discrimination.
Why does supplier due diligence matter in this industry?
Because the most severe human-rights risk in the lead-acid chain sits upstream in recycling rather than in refurbishment itself. Informal lead smelting is a significant source of lead poisoning in several markets, so where a battery goes at end of life is a human-rights decision as much as an environmental one.
Raise a concern, or request our Code of Conduct.
Workers, contractors and supply-chain partners can contact us directly. Procurement teams can request the Code of Conduct and audit summaries for vendor onboarding.