Modern Slavery

Since the first introduction of our Modern Slavery Statement, Staples have continued the drive to identify, report and where able drive out evidence of modern-day slavery and or human trafficking from the industry.

We continually recognise that our colleagues are our greatest assets and key to continued growth and success of the business.

As an employer of over 1300 colleagues, Staples has been able to reduce and almost eliminate the need for gang labour of which continues to present risk of exploitation by scrupulous individuals. Our continued aim is to directly employ all seasonal colleagues, whilst housing and servicing the needs of majority of its employees to ensure that their working days are fundamentally enjoyable.

We believe that our business is one of the select few that can be classed as a ‘first choice’ for employment. Through our continued commitment to the seasonal workers program, we can continue to offer continual employment for those who choose to return as part of the program. Our monitoring metrics for all returnees allows for future development of our colleagues, focussing on key strengths and development of personal goals.

Our ultimate aim is to provide long term commitments to our colleagues offering career paths within the business as well as safe and hygienic working environments in which our colleagues can strive to achieve their fullest potential, in the pursuit of our common goal – producing food in a safe and sustainable way.

Our commitments:

• Clear and fair terms of employment for our colleagues
• Clean, healthy, and safe working conditions
• Equal opportunities for all employees, be current or potential employees
• Encouragement for employees to develop skills to allow progression in their careers
• Tools and training for the job at hand.
• Clear instruction to all employees on the companies’ policies on insider trading, bribery and inappropriate gifts, money laundering and whistle blowing
• A harmonious working environment with zero tolerance to bullying or to any form of harassment be it linked to an individual’s sex or any other personal characteristics.

It is a policy of Staples to ensure equal opportunity is maintained and recognises that this is essential in ensuring the wellbeing of all colleagues.

Structure

Staples produces and despatches both conventionally and organically grown vegetables to multiple retail and non-retail markets. We are aware of the pressure that the industry demands in the pursuit of continuous compliance and the impact that modern society has.

Our common goal is to effectively manage the pressure, through continuous improvement and working together, through open-door dialogue with our working colleagues, our supply base here in the UK, wider afield across Europe and with our third-party certifiers, NGO’s, and our Local Government officials.

Company Policies

Policies indoctrinated within the business are key to affectively managing due diligence requirements. Our Humans Rights, Ethics & Equality Policy, along with other policies indicative of our compliance to the ETI base code, in turn asks our employees to turn ‘whistle blowers’, should they identify any breach of policy, or see evidence of discrimination, harassment, or any similar types of breach of ethics.

We offer an open doors policy to our employees and to our customers and relevant certification bodies. We also encourage our supply chain to follow suit. Semi-unannounced third party ethical auditing bodies, such as those auditing against – SMETA and Global Gap (Grasp) continue to prove invaluable in our pursuit of continual improvement.

Our Supply chain.

As a business we cannot condone or accept any form of Forced / bonded labour, either, from within or externally from our approved supply base. Our supplier approval program requires our supply base to comply with the elements and criteria, fundamental to our policies, focusing on those critical to the humane treatment of workers, worker welfare and wellbeing. Categorically we will not knowingly take supply or work with suppliers who are involved in any element of slavery or human trafficking.

We ask our supply base to extend their knowledge of the ins and outs of Modern-day slavery, through collaboration and continued attendance at one of the several ethical trade forums, such as run by Conexion Social in Spain.

Due diligence and risk mitigations steps

To mitigate risks associated with Fresh product growing, sourcing and supplying to our customers, we aim to ensure all suppliers of produce and or services to Staples are compliant with SEDEX. We require our grower and supplier base to be registered and to have openly completed a self-assessment. We further require access to the business through SEDEX, to maintain transparency through the chain. Compliance from our labour providers to the requirements laid out by the GLAA is a given, but will be monitored and verified by our own team in compliance with our own due diligence requirements.

Direct links with our own transport teams, as well as our suppliers transport links aim to actively minimise the potential for illegal immigration. Our Vehicle Security & illegal immigration policy clearly indicates our stance and expectation of our supply base in the attainment in compliance to section 33 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 (including any subsequent amendments).

Training

Our aim is to continually communicate and train our team. ‘Stronger Together’ has again been invaluable in supplying onsite inhouse training to significant number of our supervisory team. The uptake of the content continues to vary in depth, but on the whole it was suggested to have given a valuable insight to all that attended. Most if not all acknowledged the value of gaining knowledge in how better to correctly identify and communicate evidence of discrimination, harassment, or any similar types of breach of ethics.

It continues to be standard practice for Staples colleagues to attend seminars / conferences run by retailers (in collaboration with mutli-stakeholders, the GLAA (Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority), the ALP (Association of labour providers).

Our induction training scheme offers guidance, through communicated learnings, as well as systems of work and communication of policy and procedures requirements, all of which require employee acceptance to comply.

Collaboration to attain our Targets

Staples Vegetables Board of Directors, Management team, farming and factory employees are fully supportive of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and will ensure they maintain our approach to achieve our target of 100% compliance.

This statement as with all company Policies are fully supported by the Board in its pursuit to ensure compliance with all legislative requirements. This policy is further supported by specific policies and procedures. All policies inclusive shall be reviewed following legislative changes or as required by the document control procedure.