Modern Slavery Act
Introduction:
Modern slavery act is a heinous crime and a morally reprehensible act that deprives a person’s liberty and dignity for another person’s gain. It is a real problem for millions of people around the world, including many in developed countries, who are being kept and exploited in various forms of slavery. Every company is at risk of being involved in this crime through its supply chain.
At Renfrew Group International, we have a zero-tolerance approach to modern slavery and are fully committed to preventing slavery and human trafficking in our supply chains. We have taken concrete steps to tackle Modern Slavery Act, as outlined in our statement which sets out the actions that we’ve taken to understand all potential modern slavery risks related to our business, and to implement steps to prevent these from occurring.
We establish a relationship of trust and integrity with all our suppliers, which is built on mutually beneficial factors. Our supplier selection and on-boarding procedure includes due diligence of the supplier’s reputation, respect for the law, compliance with health, safety and environmental standards, and references.
We haven’t been made aware of any allegations of human trafficking/slavery activities against any of our suppliers, but if we were, then we would act immediately against the supplier and report it to the authorities.
Risk assessment:
In the past year, we conducted a risk assessment of our supply chain by taking into account:
- The risk profile of individual countries based on the Global Slavery Index
- The business services rendered by the suppliers
- The presence of vulnerable demographic groups
- A news analysis and the insights of labour and human rights groups
This assessment will determine our response and the risk controls that we implement.
Policies:
Renfrew Group international operates the following policies for identifying and preventing slavery and human trafficking in our operations:
- Whistleblowing Policy – we encourage all employees, customers and suppliers to report any suspicion of slavery or human trafficking without fear of retaliation.
- Code of Conduct – our code encourages employees to do the right thing by clearly stating the actions and behaviour expected of them when representing the business. We strive to maintain the highest standards of employee conduct and ethical behaviour whilstmanaging our supply chain.
- Purchasing Code – we have updated our Purchasing Code and supplier contracts to make explicit reference to slavery and human trafficking.
- Supplier due diligence:
Renfrew Group International, conducts due diligence on all new suppliers during on-boarding and on existing suppliers at regular intervals. This includes: - Assessing risks in the provision of particular services
- Auditing the suppliers, and their health and safety standards, labour relations and employee contracts
- Requiring improvements to substandard employment practices
- Sanctioning suppliers that fail to improve their performance in line with our requirements
We require all suppliers to attest that:
- They don’t use any form of forced, compulsory or slave labour
- Their employees work voluntarily and are entitled to leave work
- They provide each employee with an employment contract that contains a reasonable notice period for terminating their employment
- They don’t require employees to post a deposit/bond and don’t withhold their salaries for any reasons
- They don’t require employees to surrender their passports or work permits as a condition of employment
Awareness:
Renfrew Group International, has raised awareness of Modern Slavery Act issues by providing all are staff with annual statements which explains:
- Our commitment in the fight against Modern Slavery Act
- Red flags for potential cases of slavery or human trafficking
- How employees should report suspicions of modern slavery in our supply chain.
- Various forms of modern slavery in which people can be held and exploited
- The size of the problem and the risk to our organisation
- What terms and guidance should be provided to suppliers in relation to slavery policies and controls
- What steps Renfrew Group Internationalwill take if a supplier fails to implement anti-slavery policies or controls
Measuring how we’re performing:
Renfrew Group International has defined a set of key performance indicators and controls to combat modern slavery and human trafficking in our supply chain. These include:
- How many suppliers have filled out our ethics questionnaire?
- How many suppliers have rolled out an awareness and training programme that is equivalent to ours?
- How many reports have been made by our employees that indicate their awareness of and sensitivity to ethical issues?
This statement covers from the 1st Janurary 2020 until the 1st Janurary 2022 and will be reviewed, amended if necessary and approved by our Senior Team.
Bruce Renfrew
Managing Director