Introduction
This statement is published in accordance with the Modern Slavery Act 2015.
It sets out the actions and activities taken by Valentine Clays Limited and its subsidiaries (‘we’, ‘us’ or ‘our’) to prevent slavery and human trafficking violations in our business and supply chains during the year ending 31st March 2025.
Our Organisation
We are a Private Limited Company, incorporated in 2002 and based in the United Kingdom. We are a manufacturer of clay bodies and supplier of raw materials globally.
Our policies
We have a zero tolerance approach towards slavery and human trafficking and we are committed to ensuring it has no presence in any part of our business or supply chains. We have HR and Legal teams dedicated to ensuring compliance with law, policies and processes. As part of our commitment for continuous improvement, all UK policies are reviewed annually to ensure ongoing compliance. If we become aware of any breaches, we will investigate and take such steps as are necessary.
Due diligence processes
Our recruitment processes are transparent, and we have vetting procedures in place for new employees to confirm their identities and ensure that they are paid into a personal bank account. We also follow robust processes to ensure that we only engage with reputable suppliers who have been carefully considered. Our suppliers are monitored and are reviewed on a regular basis by our Procurement department.
Risk and compliance
Due to the majority of our product portfolio being manufactured and stored in the UK, in lower risk industries, our exposure to risk is low. We are conscious that imported products sourced from outside the UK or EU are potentially more at risk of slavery or human trafficking issues. As of this statement, 96% of our products are produced from materials sourced in the UK and manufactured within our UK Factories. The remaining 4% of International Clays we import are from the EU or Australia from reputable Manufacturers who we have personally visited and vetted. We expect all of our suppliers to meet legal and ethical standards as a condition of doing business with us and we will not work with any supplier organisation that has been found to have been knowingly involved in either human trafficking or modern slavery.
Continuing awareness
- We are committed to providing awareness training to staff on the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and informing them of the appropriate action to take if they suspect a case of slavery or human trafficking.
- We ensure that staff involved in buying or procurement and the recruitment and deployment of workers receive training on modern slavery and ethical employment practices.
- We ensure all staff involved in procurement activity are aware of and follow modern slavery procurement guidance.
- We continue to take action to embed a zero tolerance policy towards modern slavery.
This statement is approved by our board of directors for the financial year 24/25 and is made pursuant to section 54(1) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015.