Chapter 3: Ethics and Social Responsibility

Abercrombie & Fitch actually has a website devoted to all of their social and ethical contributions. First listed is their commitment to diversity, and after working in the company for over three years I have seen first hand that this is something that has become passionate about. They write on their site "At Abercrombie & Fitch, we are committed to promoting the diversity of our associates and management throughout our organization. We define diversity through what is "seen" and "unseen"." Personally I know this is actually be a lot different than they make it sound. yes they are passionate about being diverse, but only because in the past they haven't been and it has resulted in multiple lawsuits against them for discrimination. So does Abercrombie as a company strive to be diverse, yes. But is it because they want to or because by law they have to?

The next topic they discuss are human rights and how they work hard to ensure that no one's human rights are being violated. They say " Abercrombie & Fitch is proud of our commitment to international human and labor rights, and to ensuring that our products are only made in safe and responsible facilities. We partner with suppliers who respect local laws, and share our dedication to utilizing the best practices in human rights, labor rights, and workplace safety. Abercrombie & Fitch believes that business should only be conducted with honesty and respect for the dignity and rights of all people." thats another very ambiguous commitment that they've made. Yes of course it would be a lot easier to have their products made at a factory that provide cheap labor or even child labor, but if that ever got out in the open image how many consumers they would lose instantly. so it really makes you wonder if they are worried about protecting the human rights of everyone involved in anyway with their company or if they are just more concerned with protecting themselves and making sure that they continue to make money?

Under the topic of philanthropy they say "Abercrombie & Fitch is committed to giving back and making a positive impact on the communities where we do business. We show our commitment through monetary and product donations, as well as countless hours of volunteer work that our associates give to a host of great causes. Additionally, our Stores Organization hosts an annual fund raising event that benefits many different recipients, some of which have included store employees. Over the last several years the annual charity has raised over $100,000 for those in need." That statement really strikes me as odd because right away I think of the four total store Abercrombie & Fitch have in New York City alone (including two flagship Hollister stores) and I haven't really seen them do anything positive in this city, but as i read on further I did find out about the philanthropical things Abercrombie is doing, such as:
-Joining the Room to Read program, which has helped build over 765 school, 7040 libraries, donating over 2.5 million books, funding over 6500 scholarships all in developing countries

-Donating to multiple hospitals in the Columbus, ohio area (Nationwide Children’s Hospital & The Ohio State University Hospital/The Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital of The Ohio State University


A lot of Abercrombie & Fitch's philantropical activity seems to take place near the company's headquarters in Ohio, but it is nice to know that a company I didn't even expect to be that socially responsible is at least making an effort as a lot of ways.

For information on how Abercrombie & Fitch gets involved and how you can help check out their site