Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement

Introduction

This Modern Slavery and Human trafficking Statement is a response to Section 54(1), Part 6 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and relates to action and activities for the financial year ending 2022.

Plus Samples (‘the Company’, ‘we’, ‘us’ or ‘our’) is committed to preventing slavery and human trafficking violations in its own operations, its supply chain, and its products. We a zero-tolerance toward slavery and require our supply chain to comply with our values.

Organizational structure

Plus Samples Ltd. has business operations in the United Kingdom. 

We operate in the fashion manufacturing sector. 

Policies

We operate a number of internal policies to ensure that we are conducting business in an ethical and transparent manner.

These include the following:

Whistleblowing policies

Modern Slavery policies 

Safeguarding policies

Harassment policies

Incident reporting policies

We make sure our suppliers are aware of our policies and adhere to the same standards.

Due Diligence 

All of our clients provide and source their own materials and we expect our clients to adhere to strict criterias set out by the law in the UK.  Any breach of those laws will result in instant termination of contract and a report will be made to the relevant authorities. 

We occasionally buy in material such as buttons, fabric and thread. We have a longstanding relationship with those suppliers who operate all in the UK and EU and we check yearly on their compliance with the Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Act.

All suppliers are required to apply a due diligence process within their own supply chain, sharing the Plus Samples Ltd. Code of Labour Practice and ensuring that the Due Diligence Questionnaire is completed by each tier of their supply chain.

Our due diligence procedures aim to:

• Identify and action potential risks in our business and supply chains.

• Monitor potential risks in our business and supply chains

• Reduce the risk of slavery and human trafficking occurring in our business and supply chains.

Our supply chains

Where there is evidence of failure to comply with our policies and procedures by any of the suppliers, we will immediately terminate any business relations with the supplier and report the supplier to authorities. 

Effectiveness

The Company uses Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to measure its effectiveness and ensure that slavery and human trafficking are not taking place in its business and supply chains. These KPIs are as follows:

Corporate Social Responsibility 

a. Health and Safety 

In all our facilities, we seek to create satisfactory and optimum working conditions for our employees. Work is planned and performed with the highest possible level of consideration and care for the well-being of our employees. Besides our focus on the individual human being, our offices are also actively engaged in team-building activities and supporting various good causes. It is of utmost importance that the work environment should be a safe place for all. Any abuse, bullying, harassment, violence or threats at the workplace will not be tolerated. 

b. Equal Opportunities 

When recruiting new colleagues, we take into consideration the professional and personal skills of candidates and evaluate their fit in our organization. We look to recruit reliable, respectable and competent individuals. In our view, gender, nationality, skin colour, religion or sexual orientation are not decisive factors as they say nothing about a person’s competencies, level of commitment or ability to cooperate with others. 

Personal Conduct 

Plus Samples Ltd. expects its business partners and customers to respect human rights and refrain from using child labour. This also means that we condemn any use of forced, bonded or prison labour as well as harsh disciplinary measures. Any business partner of Plus Samples Ltd. must abide by applicable laws and regulations, provide accurate business information and live up to any agreements made.

Business Practice 

Competition and Anti-Corruption 

It is the Plus Sample Ltd.’s policy that all managers and employees must have general knowledge of competition and anti-corruption laws in order to demonstrate proper business ethics and integrity. To realize this goal, the Company has taken a number of initiatives –manuals explaining these matters are made available for all training of the relevant managers and employees regularly. Compliance Training is compulsory. 

Whistleblowing 

We strongly encourage our employees to immediately raise any concern of breach or suspected breach of this Code of Conduct, any Plus Sample’s company policy or laws. This can be done using the following channels – in person to the manager or CEO, by email to contact@plussamples.co.uk or by a hard copy letter to Plus Samples Ltd. at Unit B, Summer Court, 1 Maybury Gardens, London NW10 2NB. 

Working Hours 

Working hours should be conducted in line with the local regulations and the Plus Samples Ltd ‘s Code of Conduct. Workers shall be free to leave when regular working hours are completed and overtime shall never be compulsory. 

Living Wages

Plus Samples Ltd. is committed to the welfare of our staff by paying them a fair wage for their expertise and excellence and making sure our studio is a safe and healthy place to work. 

Risk and compliance

The Company has evaluated the nature and extent of its exposure to the risk of slavery and human trafficking occurring in its UK supply chain through:

Stringent vetting of our suppliers.

We do not tolerate slavery and human trafficking 

Plus Samples will assess all suppliers in accordance with the ILO indicators . We expect suppliers to conduct the same due diligence within their supply chain following the guidance, set out below:time and should not be withheld (without a legal basis). Wages shall be paid directly to the workers.