Adnams Modern Slavery sTatement
This statement has been published in accordance with the Modern Slavery Act 2015. It sets out the steps taken by Adnams plc, up to our financial year end of 31st December 2023, to prevent modern slavery and human trafficking in our business and supply chains.
OUR BUSINESS
Adnams is a brewer and distiller, pub owner and retailer based in Southwold on the east coast of Suffolk where it has been producing a range of award-winning beers and spirits for more than 150 years. It is a company defined by its values which can be summarised as not just “doing things right” but “doing things the right way”.
Our values are our guiding principles and as such plot the route for us to follow, from reducing our environmental impact to helping the communities in which we and our suppliers operate.
OUR SUPPLY CHAINS
With a diverse portfolio of products and services Adnams has over one thousand tier one suppliers from whom we are actively sourcing at any given time. These range from local to international farmers providing raw materials for our beers or food for our chefs, internationally sourced independent wines and UK based multinational drinks businesses.
As a manufacturer of beers and spirits we are required to source raw materials as ingredients from around the world operating in a multitude of differing conditions and each facing unique challenges; for which we recognise as a key risk to our organisation.
Having a 150-year history of producing quality products most of our supply partners are long standing, sharing our core values and principles and thus allowing for open dialogue on key issues such as Modern Slavery.
POLICIES
Our internal policies on purchases are set out in our procurement policy, which confirms we will not tolerate abuse of human rights within any part of our business or supply chain.
Adnams recognises that our employees are fundamental to our business and as such ensure our own employment procedures and checks minimise the risk of any kind of modern slavery practices taking place within our own business. These procedures and checks are also applied to any employment via contracted or agency services that may be provided to us.
Our employment policies safeguard our employees, contractors, consultants or those acting on behalf of Adnams, allowing them to raise concerns and provide them access to confidential whistleblowing processes as written in our Whistleblowing Policy which easily is accessible to all our employees and is available to our suppliers upon request.
Our Supplier Code of Conduct developed in 2022 to detail our expected values and behaviours of our suppliers has been rolled out to new suppliers and raised with existing suppliers as appropriate. Not all existing suppliers have been approached at this stage, but all will be approached in due course.
DUE DILUGENCE PROCESSES
It is the responsibility of all senior managers to ensure that any procurement or hiring undertaken within their areas follows Adnams policies and adheres to our core values, including the regular review of suppliers for suitability and risk.
2023 saw these standards continue however our intention to implement more robust internal reporting tools and initiate greater auditing were impacted by resource constraints. We intend to return our focus to these in 2025 and build upon our earlier efforts.
In 2023 we updated our whistleblowing policy to ensuring its continued relevancy and additionally provided refresher training for our employees.
ASSESSMENTR OF MODERN SLAVERY RISK WITHIN OUR SUPPLY CHAIN
In the year ending 31st December 2023 Adnams procured products or services, either directly or indirectly, from up to 35 countries worldwide. The majority of our spend continues to be within the United Kingdom followed by Europe and then the rest of the world.
2023 saw overall overseas spending reduce as we looked to mitigate our risks from supply chain issues and the cost-of-living crisis.
We continue to recognise that one of our biggest risks within our supply chain are where we are not purchasing directly from the primary producer and are therefore reliant upon our suppliers to ensure that these policies are followed. We continue to be mindful of both Botanical supply for our Spirits and Hops supplies for our Beers, in both instances we have worked closely with these key suppliers to ensure greater transparency of working practices and the procedures in place to prevent work force abuses.
We will continue to review this policy and undertake the necessary actions, including moving the business away from suppliers should we have concerns about their compliance with this policy, the law on modern slavery or any of their ethical or environmental practices.
MODERN SLAVERY TRAINING
All key members of staff with touch points to either our suppliers or our recruitment processes have been trained to enable them to identify any potential risks and to escalate these should it be necessary. 2023 did not see any refresher training take place in regard to Modern Slavery however this will be undertaken in the second half of 2024.
FURTHER STEPS TO PREVENT MODERN SLAVERY IN OUR SUPPLY CHAIN:
Adnams maintains active membership within a number of trade, regulatory and voluntary bodies to share resources, knowledge and best practices thereby ensuring continued improvement in knowledge by our employees and peers.
We continue, where relevant and applicable, to offer our expertise to suppliers and partners to ensure that they understand the regulations and our policies.
Wherever practical we move the supply of high-risk items to products which are verified as complying with these regulations by other relevant recognised bodies such as Fairtrade and Rain Forest Alliance.
ASSESSMENT OF EFFECTIVENESS IN PREVENTING MODERN SLAVERY
We understand that the Modern Slavery risk is not static, and we will continue to work with our suppliers to mitigate this risk. Further training will be provided to our teams in the latter half of 2024 and potential improvements have been identified in our reporting and management tools that will be reviewed when resources allow.
This statement was approved by the board of directors of Adnams plc on the 27th .June 2024
