Modern slavery statement

Modern slavery is a heinous crime and a morally reprehensible act that deprives a person of their 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 own operations and its supply chain.

This statement sets out the actions we have taken to understand all potential modern slavery risks related to our business, and to implement steps to prevent slavery and human trafficking.

• Barton Jones Packaging Ltd
• Packaging manufacturer and merchant
• We operate from our head office in Letchworth Garden City, England

We establish a relationship of trust and integrity with all our suppliers, built upon 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 have not been made aware of any allegations of human trafficking or slavery activities against any of our suppliers. If we were, we would act immediately against the supplier and report it to the authorities.

We assess our supply chain taking into account:

• the risk profile of individual countries based on the Global Slavery Index
• the business services rendered by the suppliers

This assessment determines our response and the risk controls that we implement.

Barton Jones Packaging 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. We provide an appropriate contact to protect the identity of whistleblowers.
• 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 when operating abroad and managing our supply chain.

We conduct 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

We require all suppliers to attest that:

• they do not 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 do not require employees to post a deposit or bond, and do not withhold their salaries for any reason
• they do not require employees to surrender their passports or work permits as a condition of employment

We have raised awareness of modern slavery issues with posters across our facilities and a modern slavery awareness booklet for staff. These highlight:

• our commitment in the fight against modern slavery
• the various forms of modern slavery in which people can be held and exploited
• how employees can identify the signs of slavery and human trafficking, including unrealistically low prices
• how employees should respond if they suspect slavery or human trafficking
• how suppliers can escalate potential slavery or human trafficking issues to the relevant people within their own organisation
• what external help is available for the victims of slavery
• what terms and guidance should be provided to suppliers in relation to slavery policies and controls
• what steps we will take if a supplier fails to implement anti-slavery policies or controls

This statement has been reviewed by the Directors and is reviewed annually. Signed on behalf of Barton Jones Packaging Ltd by Justin Burrell, Managing Director.

To request a signed copy of this statement, or our bribery and equality policies, email our sales team.