Modern Slavery & Human Trafficking Statement 2022/23
This statement is made pursuant to section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 which was passed in the UK in recognition that throughout the world there are offences of slavery, servitude, forced or compulsory labour and human trafficking. It highlights the need for discourse and awareness of the topic and requires UK businesses to produce a statement regarding the steps they have taken throughout the financial year to demonstrate the part they have played in mitigating this issue. We at Jellycat are determined that slavery and human trafficking in any form should not enter our supply chain, and the integrity with which our products are created should be upheld all the way through the manufacturing process and beyond.
Our Business
We have a Head Office in London, a UK warehouse facility, an office in Minneapolis, USA and an office in Shanghai, China. In each location, our senior management have a clear directive to report any concerns in relation to modern slavery and to act upon them without delay.
Our Supply Chain
Since our establishment in 1999 we have strived to develop, maintain and uphold direct and sustainable relationships with all our manufacturers and suppliers, this provides us with transparency throughout every step of the manufacturing process. It also encourages a partnership based on honesty and openness. Our supply chain, the people who help manufacture and deliver our products, includes manufacturers in Asia, international shippers and 3rd party warehouses in Hong Kong, Minneapolis, Shanghai and the UK.
We have always worked closely with any new manufacturer ensuring they are audited to social and ethical standards before we commence manufacturing Jellycat products with them. Subsequent annual audits are conducted wherever any Jellycat design is manufactured, and these all follow a recognised audit programme such as ICTI, SA8000 or BSCI and include worker interviews, documentary evidence checks and site tours. These assessments and audits can be planned or unannounced and are carried out by both third parties and senior Jellycat personnel.
Our Policies
We have a continued commitment to the wellbeing and welfare of our colleagues and the workers in our supply chain. To reinforce our zero-tolerance approach to modern slavery, we introduced the Jellycat Responsible Sourcing Code of Practice (JCRSCOP). The JCRSCOP is used in conjunction with our long-standing, existing requirements for social compliance transparency and regular 3rd party audits. The JCRSCOP highlights the expectations we have of our suppliers in all areas from of employment processes in the manufacturers, suppliers and partners we work with, giving the greatest protection to those within our supply chain.
The JCRSCOP specifies in detail the responsibility of manufacturers and suppliers that work with Jellycat to adhere to the UK’s Modern Slavery Act 2015. We engage with management to ensure they embed an understanding within their own supply chains that Jellycat will not tolerate any form of modern slavery. All our key tier 1 manufacturing partners have signed the JCRSCOP, this demonstrates their commitment to the standards we expect our partners to adhere to.
Our Progress
In this financial year, 2022/23, the restrictions imposed as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic lessened and as such, travel to manufacturing locations and suppliers has been reintroduced. Senior members of the Jellycat team have visited every manufacturing site. Our commitment to regular in person meetings is a key feature of the partnership between Jellycat and our manufacturers.
Our Jellycat in-country teams have been increased to ensure we have day to day presence in our manufacturing sites. All team members are provided with training on Jellycat expectations and work in partnership with production teams focusing on production quality and production planning. This allows us regular contact with all staff and workers in the manufacturing sites.
Our tier 1 suppliers have all completed annual independent third-party audits with no major or critical issues identified. Any minor issues have been corrected within agreed timescales. We continue to increase our audit expectations and are working towards an enhanced social audit programme.
We will continue to map out key tier 2 suppliers and engage with them to ensure full adherence to the JCRSCOP and ultimately our commitment to preventing modern slavery and human trafficking in our supply chain.
We have reviewed the JCRSCOP and are currently updating it to include more information for manufacturers on our expectations for worker welfare and environmental/sustainability activities.
We continue to have ongoing direct communication with key partners within the supply chain re-iterating the values integral to our business in order to ensure those values are adhered to within their supply chain also.
Next Steps
Looking forward into the next financial year (2022/23) we will issue our updated JCRSCOP to all tier 1 manufacturing partners and key tier 2 suppliers.
Our third-party warehouse partners are well established, and we continue to engage with them to understand their activities to ensure they match our commitment to preventing modern slavery in our supply chain.
Our scope will broaden further to other suppliers including those who supply packaging materials or produce marketing materials.
We will continue to assess our policies in the areas of recruitment, whistleblowing, supply of goods and services and due diligence assessments.
We will continue to review and update training and support information for Jellycat employees as well as key third party partners.
This statement is made in reference to section 54 (1) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 for the financial year 2022-2023 and has been approved by the Board of Directors
Arnaud Meysselle
CEO
October 2023
