Art of the Possible’s modern slavery statement 2021-22
Published 11th November 2021
Modern Slavery policy statement
Modern slavery is a heinous crime and a morally reprehensible act that deprives a person’s liberty and dignity for another person’s gain. It is a real problem for millions of people around the world, including many in developed countries, who are being kept and exploited in various forms of slavery. Every company is at risk of being involved in this crime through its own operations and its supply chain.
At Art of the Possible Ltd, we have a zero-tolerance approach to modern slavery and are fully committed to preventing slavery and human trafficking in our operation and supply chain. We have taken concrete steps to tackle modern slavery, as outlined in our statement. This statement sets out the actions that we have taken to understand all potential modern slavery risks related to our business, and to implement steps to prevent slavery and human trafficking during the financial year 2021/22.
Our business and supply chains
Art of the Possible Ltd is a limited company, set up in 2019 and based in the UK. We are a marketing and creative agency servicing UK based brands.
We establish a relationship of trust and integrity with all our suppliers, which is built upon mutually beneficial factors. Our supplier selection and on-boarding procedure includes due diligence of the supplier’s reputation, respect for the law, compliance with health, safety and environmental standards, and references.
[We haven’t been made aware of any allegations of human trafficking/slavery activities against any of our suppliers, but if we were, then we would act immediately against the supplier and report it to the authorities.]
Risk assessment
In the past year, we conducted a risk assessment of our supply chain by taking into account:
- The risk profile of individual countries based on the Global Slavery Index
- The business services rendered by the suppliers
- The presence of vulnerable demographic groups
- A news analysis and the insights of labour and human rights groups
This assessment will determine our response and the risk controls that we implement.
Policies
Art of the Possible Ltd operates the following policies for identifying and preventing slavery and human trafficking in our operations:
- Whistleblowing Policy – we encourage all employees, customers and suppliers to report any suspicion of slavery or human trafficking without fear of retaliation. We provide a confidential helpline to protect the identity of whistle-blowers.
- Code of Conduct – our code encourages employees to do the right thing by clearly stating the actions and behaviour expected of them when representing the business. We strive to maintain the highest standards of employee conduct and ethical behaviour when operating abroad and managing our supply chain.
- Purchasing Code – we have updated our Purchasing Code and supplier contracts to make explicit reference to slavery and human trafficking.
Supplier due diligence
Art of the Possible Ltd conducts due diligence on all new suppliers during on-boarding and on existing suppliers at regular intervals. This includes:
- Assessing risks in the provision of particular services
- 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
Further Steps
Art of the Possible Ltd is committed to continually seeking a full understanding of our supply chains and maintaining transparency and responsibility towards people working within them. During 2021-22, Art of the Possible Ltd will continue to promote staff awareness of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and consider any training needs for relevant staff in respect of the requirements of the Act. Art of the Possible’s suppliers will continue to be assessed for modern slavery related risks at the point of contract award, and our top tiered suppliers on an annual basis thereafter, with findings reflected in the Commercial Risk Profile. Where any potential risks are identified, we will work with suppliers to undertake a full modern slavery assessment. We also intend to further review and update our standard contract terms with suppliers to enhance modern slavery compliance and our ability to trace supply chains.
This statement is made pursuant to section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and sets out the steps taken by Art of the Possible Ltd in the financial year 2021-22 to combat modern slavery.
Kat Patterson, Managing Director Art of the Possible Ltd
This statement was approved by the Board of Art of the Possible on 11th November 2021.