This statement is in response to section 54 (1) of the UK Modern Slavery Act 2015 and outlines Coppice’s commitment to identifying and preventing modern slavery and human trafficking in any part of its business and supply chain.

There are now as many as 40 million people in modern slavery, globally. It is estimated there are at least 10,000 modern slaves in the UK. Coppice holds a zero tolerance position on slavery and human trafficking and will not tolerate or condone any form of slavery or human trafficking within any part of its business or supply chain. We as a business are committed to developing and adopting a proactive approach to tackling slavery and human trafficking through our policies, procedures and recruitment process.

We are an international packaging supplier to the food manufacturing, processing and baking industries. We also serve wholesale, institutional catering, and non-food markets. Originally founded in 1972, we continue to innovate and adapt to meet your packaging needs. Our renowned flexibility and service levels have earned us our reputation as a reliable packaging partner, and we are the chosen packaging supplier of companies around the world.

Coppice realises that the potential risk of slavery and human trafficking is a modern day existence and can occur both internally and externally, especially when dealing with suppliers and third parties.

• Direct suppliers of raw materials, packaging and pallets
• Facilities and maintenance contractors; and
• Support and professional services providers.

The majority of these suppliers are based in the UK, Europe, China and Asia.

We operate approved supplier lists for both suppliers and service providers. All approved suppliers are subject to due diligence checks and regular reviews. We foster long term relationships with our approved suppliers and we do not make demands nor issue instructions to supplies that might lead to them violating human rights. If a supplier does not meet Coppice’s standards and requirements, we will consider whether it is appropriate to work with them and, if necessary, either help them remedy any issues or where more appropriate take steps to terminate contracts.

Coppice has a zero tolerance approach to slavery and human trafficking of any kind within our business or supply chain. Our internal policies reflect our commitment to acting ethically and with integrity in all our business relationships, as well as looking to implementing and enforcing effective systems and controls to ensure slavery and human trafficking is not taking place.

We are committed to the highest principles of personal and professional conduct which includes a zero tolerance approach to modern slavery. Coppice and the team of Directors are responsible for ensuring that there is a satisfactory process in place for managing strategy, risk management and assessment, ethical and corporate social responsibility issues including modern slavery.

Our whistleblowing policy applies to everyone working within Coppice, including employees, contractors and third parties acting on behalf of Coppice. The policy provides a mechanism for the reporting of concerns about suspected wrongdoing or concerns at work, including slavery and human trafficking violations, without fear of reprisals.

A robust recruitment policy and set of practices exist, in line with UK legislation, including right to work document checks, contracts of employment and ensuring that personal information provided is genuine and we are committed to fair employment practices for all our employees.

• Our recruitment procedures include mandatory documentation checks to ensure that all employees are over 16 and are eligible to work in the applicable roles.
• As part of our recruitment policies and procedures, we only use reputable recruitment agencies that can confirm that they comply with all relevant laws and regulations.
• We conduct annual pay reviews and benchmarking activities, implement working hours, and pay staff wages which are compliant with all relevant laws.
• We have a companywide Employee Assistance Programme that provides work as well as life support services.

We also have various policies and procedures in place to further our commitment to tackling modern day slavery, including:

• Whistleblowing Procedure
• Bullying and Harassment Policy
• Equality Policy
• Gifts and Corporate Hospitality Policy

We recognise that certain jurisdictions, sectors and services in which we operate are considered high risk and therefore all transactions are reviewed by the Directors who consider the risks and any mitigation required before approval is granted to proceed.