Modern slavery transparency statement 2018/2019
Modern Slavery is the term used within the UK and is defined within the Modern Slavery Act of 2015.
According to the Modern Slavery 2018 Report, between April 2017 & March 2018, the police in England and Wales recorded 3337 modern slavery crimes, a 49% increase on the previous year.
Banner Ltd recognises zero tolerance to slavery, servitude, forced labour and human trafficking - Modern Slavery.
Banner Ltd is the largest wholesale school uniform and school sportswear supplier in the UK. We cooperate with 34 direct and indirect (i.e. sourced via agents) suppliers in 6 overseas countries.
| Country | Total Sites |
| China | 14 |
| Pakistan | 6 |
| Lao People's Democratic Republic | 5 |
| Vietnam | 5 |
| Bangladesh | 3 |
| Philippines | 1 |
Code of practice
Banner’s Buying Director is responsible for supplier relationships and for suppliers’ compliance with Banner’s Code of Practice which covers below areas:
- Employment conditions for workers involved with the production of our goods.
- Health & Safety standards.
- Wages and working hours, including adherence to young person’s working regulations.
- Human Rights.
- Disciplinary and employment records.
- Risk Assessments.
- Legal requirements.
- Sewing and fabric quality standards.
- Safety requirements.
- Manufacturing requirements including CMT (cut, make, trim) procedures.
Banner has shared its Supplier Operations Manual to all suppliers. The purpose of this document is to explain to Suppliers our requirements relating to the production and supply of garments into Banner Ltd in the UK. To achieve a high level of supply chain efficiency it is essential that Suppliers operate in accordance with agreed standards and practices so that effective business planning and control is possible. Supplier Operations Manual sets out in detail the standards expected of our Suppliers and compliance with all the requirements and standards detailed in this document will therefore form part of any Annual Trading Agreement Banner Ltd places with its Suppliers.
Ethics
We are a member of SEDEX (Supplier Ethical Data Exchange) a not-for- profit organisation committed to the improvement of ethical and responsible practice and all of our suppliers/manufacturers are members. We review all annual audits and endeavour to ensure that all suppliers are compliant with all local standards and laws of their country.
At Banner Ltd we refuse to have any dealings with any company or individual that requires to make or receive any form of inducement in order to secure a commercial transaction and will terminate any ongoing relationships if evidence is found to demonstrate this.
We endeavour to audit our ethical trading standards firstly through local agents who supply quality control facilities and who are entrusted to ensure that our high expectations of factory facilities are maintained. Secondly, directors and senior management of our business make regular visits to our suppliers worldwide during the year.
As we continue to source our products from overseas, we are committed to improving the working conditions of those within our global supply chain. For a more detailed overview of our ethical practice and our trading statement, please visit our website at banner.co.uk
Future action
Part of Banner’s SER plans (Social and Environmental Responsibility) for 2019 and beyond is to encourage all of our Suppliers to complete SMETA 4 pillars which includes environment audit and business ethics. SMETA is a compilation of best practices in ethical audits, established by Sedex. SMETA is not a standard or a certification process, but a set of protocols for high-quality ethical audits, which use ETI standards and local laws.
Modern slavery act statement 2018/2019 - Download