Our Business
Kettler GB Limited is the UK’s largest wholesaler of Outdoor Garden Furniture in the UK. Our National Distribution Centre is based in Redditch, Worcestershire which serves well as a central location to distribute nationwide.
Any use of slave or trafficked labour is completely unacceptable to our company. We take these issues very seriously and we are fully supportive of all measures to help eradicate this criminal activity.
Governance and Responsibility
The Managing Director, has overall responsibility for the implementation of this policy. The HR & Compliance Manager will be responsible for the policy’s day to day management.
Heads of Departments are also responsible for ensuring those reporting to them understand and comply with the policy, and our no tolerance to Modern Day Slavery approach across our whole supply chain.
Our commitment
At Kettler GB Limited we recognise the responsibility we, along with our suppliers, have to operate in an ethical manner. As part of this responsibility, we acknowledge the requirements of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and operate a zero-tolerance approach to modern slavery, servitude, forced labour and human trafficking, whether within our own business or within our wider supply chain, here in the UK and overseas.
We are not willing to tolerate or condone modern day slavery in any part of our operations including our supply chain and will take all appropriate actions to assist the abolition of modern day slavery.
In relation to our UK operations and global supply chain we have implemented policies which apply to all persons working for us or on our behalf, including but not limited to suppliers, agency workers, seconded workers, volunteers, interns, agents, contractors, external consultants, third- party representatives and business partners. These policies are based on the Ethical Trading Initiative (‘ETI’) base code, and with a strengthened focused on modern slavery.
Policies
As part of our commitment to eradicate modern slavery, we have clear policies and procedures in line with best industry practice that are underpinned by our values and principles. Together, these demonstrate our continual commitment to eradicate all forms of modern slavery policies in place include:
- Anti-Bribery Policy
- Anti-Slavery and Human Trafficking Policy
- Child Labour and Young Workers Remediation Policy
- Equal Treatment Policy
- Ethical Standards Policy
- Forced or Compulsory Labour Policy
- Freedom of Association Policy
- Whistle Blowing Policy
Supply Chain Overview
We source the majority of our products directly from manufacturers based in China, Vietnam and Australia- these are our Tier 1 suppliers.
Our Tier 1 suppliers source timber and raw materials from their suppliers based in the USA, Europe, China, Vietnam and Uruguay. These include forest owners, timber processors, and textile mills who are our Tier 2 and 3 suppliers.
Risk assessment
As an organisation, we recognise that there is a risk of modern slavery in any area of our business. We risk assess our supply chain by:
- assessing the risk profile of individual countries based on the Global Slavery Index,
- analysing the insights and expertise of specialist third parties, such as SEDEX and associated audits.
Due diligence
Kettler GB Ltd conducts due diligence on all new suppliers and on existing suppliers at regular intervals. This includes:
- Auditing the suppliers, and their health and safety standards, labour relations and employee contracts
- Requiring improvements to substandard employment practices
- Sanctioning suppliers that fail to improve their performance in line with our requirements
We require all suppliers to attest that:
- They don’t 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 don’t require employees to post a deposit/bond and don’t withhold their salaries for any reasons.
- They don’t require employees to surrender their passports or work permits as a condition of employment.
Raising awareness & training
We are in the process of updating the terms and conditions we have with our major suppliers in order to include compliance with the Modern Slavery Act 2015. This includes a request that our suppliers adhere to our Code of Conduct at all times and operate a workplace that respects workers’ basic human and legal rights.
We continue to work with all our immediate overseas suppliers to ensure they conduct their business with the same commitment to ethical business practices as we do. Our internal Heads of Department have extensive experience of working with factories to assess and improve adherence to quality and ethical standards. We regularly visit our major overseas suppliers and work to improve human rights issues.
Commitments
In 2023 we:
- began working towards Planet Mark.
- Achieved a successful FSC audit with zero corrective actions.
In 2024, we will:
- Publish our modern slavery statement on the government’s modern slavery register.
- Continue to develop our formal ESG strategy.
Assessment of effectiveness
We recognise that our commitment to a no-tolerance policy to modern slavery and human rights abuse is an ongoing process and therefore we will continue to assess performance and, as with all other areas of our business, we will identify areas in which we need to improve.
This policy statement will be reviewed and published annually.
