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modern slavery act

Silentnight Group Modern Slavery Statement

Financial Year Ended 28 January 2023

(Issued Pursuant to Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015)

Founded in 1942, Silentnight is a well-recognised and trusted UK bed manufacturer based in Lancashire, employing over 800 employees on one production site. With annual sales of £117 million in the financial year ending 28 January 2023, Silentnight’s main operational activity is the assembly and upholstery of mattresses, divan bed bases and headboards, including the processing of fabrics, fillings, wire and timber, and the sale and delivery of our products to retailers, the hospitality sector and customers in the UK and Ireland.

This statement is published in accordance with the Modern Slavery Act 2015. It provides information on our activities and commitments to prevent modern slavery in our business operations and supply chain.

Definitions

Silentnight considers that modern slavery encompasses:

  • human trafficking

  • forced work through mental or physical threat

  • being owned or controlled by an employer through mental or physical abuse or the threat of abuse

  • being dehumanised, treated as a commodity or being bought or sold as property

  • being physically constrained or having restrictions placed on freedom of movement.

Our Commitment

Silentnight operates a zero-tolerance stance regarding modern slavery and human trafficking and is fully committed to acting ethically and with integrity. We acknowledge our responsibilities in relation to tackling modern slavery and commit to complying with the provisions of the Modern Slavery Act 2015. We understand that this requires an ongoing review of our internal practices concerning our labour force and our supply chain.

We are members of SEDEX and actively endorse and accept all base codes within the ETI structure. We monitor this through regular auditing and by working with all suppliers within our supply chain to maintain standards.

Our Supply Chain

Silentnight does not enter into business with any other organisation which knowingly supports or is found to involve itself in slavery, servitude and forced or compulsory labour. We aim for our immediate suppliers to operate to the highest standards and to use our influence through contractual terms to ensure that slavery and human trafficking are not taking place within their operations, together with their assurance that they seek similar commitment through their own supply chain. No labour provided to Silentnight is obtained by means of slavery or human trafficking. We strictly adhere to the standards required in relation to our responsibilities under relevant UK legislation.

Silentnight is committed to establishing long-term partnerships with our suppliers. We issue a Supplier Code of Conduct for all existing and new supplier relationships. Each supplier is asked to confirm their actions and compliance to uphold modern slavery legislation.

Fortunately, most of our first-tier suppliers are based in the UK, where we have built long-term and effective working relationships. Every supplier in our network must sign an agreement that checks their compliance with our ethical trading code. Suppliers must have modern slavery safeguards in place.

Our Actions

As a business, we have a set of fundamental principles that guide and shape how we work. Through this, we have introduced more robust policies into our organisation so that colleagues are more informed. All our policies are widely accessible to all colleagues via our Handbook, online intranet, and training platform or can be requested from the People Team. We review our policies annually to ensure they are fit for purpose, reflect current legislation, and align with our guiding principles.

Our recruitment process requires all prospective employees and agency workers to provide documentary evidence of their legal entitlement to work in the UK.

We have provided modern slavery training to a total of 70 managers across the business. This training was produced in line with the Slave-Free Alliance. Over the coming year, we will roll out a modern slavery educational module, which will be accessible to all colleagues.

We have increased awareness of modern slavery by adding more signage across the business. This includes signage in multiple languages to support all our colleagues.

Our Whistleblowing (Disclosure of Information) Policy provides a clear process for employees to report any concerns in respect of modern slavery or human trafficking in confidence. The policy is available to all colleagues on our intranet and can be requested from the People Team. We can report that there have been no reported instances of slavery or human trafficking within our organisation, nor have we been made aware of any allegations against our suppliers.

Date of approval: 22nd June 2023 Signed, Tracey Bamber Chief Executive Officer Review Date: June 2024