Anti-Slavery Statement
Beeks Group is unequivocally committed to conducting its business in a manner that respects human rights and the dignity of all people, and we stand firmly against all forms of slavery and human trafficking. This commitment is embedded in our organizational values, corporate policies, and the actions we take in our daily operations and in our supply chains.
Our Policies on Slavery & Human Trafficking
We have implemented comprehensive policies to ensure that we are conducting business in an ethical and transparent manner that respects the rights of individuals.
Due Diligence & Risk Assessment
Understanding the risks associated with slavery and human trafficking in our operations and supply chain is critical to our approach. We conduct regular due diligence activities, including supplier audits, risk assessments, and compliance checks, to ensure that our standards are being met. This process helps us to identify, prevent, and mitigate the risks of slavery and human trafficking.
Supplier Code of Conduct
We have established a Supplier Code of Conduct that requires all suppliers to comply with international human rights standards and laws related to labour practices. Our suppliers are expected to demonstrate that they provide safe working conditions, treat workers with dignity and respect, and act ethically and legally in their use of labour. We engage with our suppliers to ensure compliance and take action against those who do not meet our standards.
Reporting & Accountability
We encourage anyone, including employees, contractors, suppliers, and customers, to report concerns about unethical conduct or human rights violations within our operations or supply chain. We have established reporting mechanisms that ensure confidentiality and protection for whistleblowers.
Beeks Group is committed to continuously reviewing and improving our practices to combat slavery and human trafficking. This statement is made pursuant to the UK Modern Slavery Act 2015 and sets forth our actions to understand all potential modern slavery risks related to our business and to implement steps to prevent slavery and human trafficking during the financial year 2023/2024.
What is Modern Slavery?
Slavery is a violation of a person’s human rights. It can take the form of human trafficking, forced
labour, bonded labour, forced or servile marriage, descent-based slavery and domestic slavery. A person is considered to be in modern slavery if they are:
- Forced to work through mental or physical threat
- Owned or controlled by an “employer”, usually through mental or physical abuse
- Dehumanised, treated as a commodity or sold or bought as “property”
- Physically constrained or has restrictions placed on their freedom of movement
The Use of Slavery in the Production of Goods and Services
Beeks Group understands that in today’s marketplace, most products and services have passed through a chain of producers, manufacturers, distributors and retailers who have all participated in the creation of the final product, its delivery and sale. It can therefore be very difficult to certify that a product or service has or has not been produced using slavery.
However, the way in which companies operate and manage their supply chain can affect the likelihood of slavery being part of the final product. The Modern Slavery Act gives responsibility to companies, such as Beeks Group, for ensuring that no slavery has occurred.
The Modern Slavery Act 2015 – Beeks Group’s Practices & Supply Chain Management
Beeks Group take the subject of modern slavery seriously and can ensure that we adhere to the following practices:
- All UK workers receive minimum wage and robust immigration checks
- Supply chains are mapped annually to identify where there is highest risk and exposure to modern slavery
- Supplier contracts are reviewed annually to include obligations to comply with the Modern Slavery Act 2015
Additionally, our zero tolerance for modern slavery and our respect for human rights is built into many of our processes and business practices. As part of the due diligence checks we carry out in our supplier on-boarding process, we ask each supplier to provide us with their modern slavery policy in order for us to ensure that it meets our standards.
We also have open conversations with each supplier so that they may assure us of the following:
- modern slavery is not present in their company in any form
- safe and fair working conditions are provided the risks within their own supply chain are understood
- zero tolerance, responsible management and compliance with all legal requirements is reflected in their policies, procedures, practices and in contracts
Consequences of a Supplier Breach of the Modern Slavery Act 2015
If Beeks Group suspects that a supplier has potentially breached the tenets of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, the company will implement the following steps:
- Notify the supplier in writing of the suspected breach and ask for more information;
- Investigate to determine if to the best of Beeks Group’s knowledge, there was a breach; and
- If it is determined that a breach has occurred, Beeks Group will give the supplier 3 months to remedy the situation before publicly announcing a potential termination of contact, with specific explanation as to the reason why.
The rationale behind the Modern Slavery Act is to create transparency around the ethical practices of organisations, thereby allowing customers, potential investors and the wider public to be informed about what organisations are actively doing to tackle modern slavery. By implementing step 3 above, Beeks Group will play an active role in ensuring this is the case within its own supply chain.
Further Information
We have provided below a list of useful links to resources, guides and information that Beeks Group strongly encourages all of its suppliers to refer to in order to ensure they are fully informed about the Modern Slavery Act 2015.
UK Government
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/modern-slavery-bill
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/transparency-in-supply-chains-a-practical-guide
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/stopping-modern-slavery-in-business-video
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/district-provision-tool/modern-slavery
