In accordance with our Corporate Responsibility Policy, and to meet our wider objective to respect the rights of staff and others in the local and wider community, ARC is committed to ensuring that we do not knowingly exploit or benefit from the unlawful treatment of others.
We do not use, or tolerate others’ use of, forced labour or human trafficking practices, including the exploitation of children. We will never knowingly do business with customers, suppliers or other business partners who violate these policies.
ARC is committed to social responsibility, and has zero tolerance for slavery and human trafficking. We hold ourselves and our supply chain accountable and comply with the provisions of the Modern Slavery Act 2015.
ARC recognises that modern slavery is a complex supply chain issue, and we must work in partnership with our customers, suppliers and other organisations to help develop long-term solutions to this issue.
ARC will conduct a periodic review of the policies and procedures implemented by our significant suppliers that ensure their compliance with the Modern Slavery Act 2015, and update this statement annually.
We apply our employment practices in line with, and in certain aspects exceeding, the requirements of UK and European legislation, to ensure that all employees are properly entitled to work in the UK.
We actively support employee engagement, representation, dialogue and the ability of employees to raise potential concerns or grievances.
To help ensure that there are no obstacles to exposure of any unlawful or unethical practices ARC has implemented a Whistleblowing Policy, including facilities available for staff to report any issues, anonymously if desired, via a third party organisation.
RISK MANAGEMENT
We consider that the greatest risk of slavery and human trafficking is in our supply chain where we undertake procurement activities and where operations and managerial oversight are out of our direct control.
ARC recognises that some of the sectors in which its suppliers operate will be more susceptible to human trafficking and slavery than others, but ARC is committed to driving high standards across all of its supply chains, irrespective of sector.
Where possible, we build long-standing relationships with suppliers and make clear our expectations of business behaviour.
With regards to national or international supply chains, our relationship is preferably with a UK company or branch and we expect these entities to have suitable anti-slavery and human trafficking policies and processes. We expect each entity in the supply chain to, at least, adopt ‘one-up’ due diligence on the next link in the chain. It is not practical for us to have a direct relationship with all links in the supply chain.
In relation to our own employment practices, we monitor and review:
