Modern Slavery & Human Trafficking Statement 2018/19
The Modern Slavery Act 2015 was passed in the UK in recognition that throughout the world there are offences of slavery, servitude, forced or compulsory labour and human trafficking. It highlights the need for discourse and awareness of the topic and requires UK businesses to produce a statement regarding the steps they have taken throughout the financial year to demonstrate the part they have played in mitigating this issue.
We at Jellycat are determined that slavery or human trafficking in any form should not enter in to our supply chain; that the integrity with which our products are created should be upheld all the way through the manufacturing process and beyond.
We have a Head Office in London, a UK a warehouse facility and an office in Minneapolis, USA. In all locations there is an awareness of the risks and senior management have a clear directive to report any concerns in relation to Modern Slavery and to act upon them without delay.
Our supply chain, the people who help us make and deliver our products, is one that that works directly with manufacturers in Asia, international shippers and 3rd party warehouses in Hong Kong and Minneapolis, USA.
Since our establishment in 1999 we have strived to develop, maintain and uphold direct and sustainable relationships with all our manufacturers and suppliers as this provides us with a transparency throughout every step of the manufacturing process. It also encourages a partnership based on honesty and openness. We have always assessed and audited any new manufacturer before any production goes ahead with the Jellycat Code of Practice (JCCOP). Subsequent annual audits are made wherever any Jellycat design is manufactured, which include worker interviews, document reviews including pay and site tours. These assessments and audits can be planned or happen unannounced and they are made by both 3rd parties and senior Jellycat personnel.
Since our statement for the financial year of 2017/18, this financial year (2018/19) we have created an additional Jellycat Responsible Sourcing Code of Practice (JCRSCOP), published internally in August 2018 and sent to all our key existing manufacturing partners in Asia at this time. Its scope is to highlight our labour standards, in all areas of employment by the manufacturers and suppliers we work with, giving the greatest protection to those within our supply chain.
It specifies in more detail the obligation of those manufacturers and suppliers that work with us to adhere to the UK’s Modern Slavery Act (2015) ensuring there is compliance and support within the management of the 3rd party manufacturers and suppliers for its positive enforcement, embedding the understanding that Jellycat will not tolerate any form of modern slavery. All our manufacturing partners are required to sign the JCRSCOP as a contractual obligation to demonstrate their commitment to the standards we have laid out within it. Follow up meetings will be carried out at key manufacturers in the following financial year (2019/20) to ensure continued compliance to the Modern Slavery Act. In addition, we will be working with these key manufacturers to bring the JCRSCOP to the attention of their suppliers and to gain signed copies as part of their initial demonstration of compliance.
We continue to have an ongoing dialogue of direct communication with key partners within the supply chain which re-iterates the values integral to our business and that these need to be adhered to within their supply chain too. The JCCOP and the JCRSCOP are both evolving documents that we continually review and update where necessary.
Our integrity in support of the removal of modern slavery will not be compromised and any breach in the supply chain will face appropriate action which would include the termination of contracts.
This statement is made in reference to section 54 (1) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 for the financial year 2018-2019.
On behalf of the Board of Directors
William Gatacre, Managing Director
