In accordance with the Modern Slavery Act 2015, this statement sets out the steps that Freixenet Copestick Ltd is taking to understand and address potential Modern Slavery risks related to its business and put in place steps that are aimed at ensuring there is no Slavery or Human Trafficking in its own business or supply chains.
The company is committed to preventing Slavery and Human Trafficking in its corporate activities, and to ensuring that its supply chains are free from Slavery and Human Trafficking.
Formed in 2019 following the merger of Freixenet UK and Copestick Murray Ltd. Freixenet Copestick is a wholly owned subsidiary of Henkell – Freixenet a member of the Oetker Group.
The company’s core business is the import and sale of still and sparkling wines. Our products are supplied by Group and non-Group companies based in the major wine producing regions of the world.
Subsidiaries of the Henkell – Freixenet Group are subjected to an annual Oetker compliance audit which includes ethical standards. Managing directors of each subsidiary have overall responsibility for compliance and are actively involved in the compliance audit.
Prior to supply, third party suppliers are risk assessed and audited to ensure suitability of supply to the Henkell Freixenet Group. The company audit includes staff welfare and ethical standards of the supplier.
We establish a relationship of trust and integrity with all our suppliers, which are built upon mutually beneficial factors. Our supplier selection and on-boarding procedure includes due diligence of the supplier's reputation, respect for the law, and compliance with health, safety and environmental standards.
We haven't been made aware of any allegations of human trafficking/slavery activities against any of our suppliers, but if we were, then we would act immediately against the supplier and report it to the relevant authorities.
Key staff with direct responsibility for compliance have undertaken external training to better understand the risks of modern slavery and how to identify them. Staff training is reviewed annually and training will be provided where relevant.
Modern slavery is a crime and violation of fundamental human rights. It takes various forms, such as slavery servitude, forced and compulsory labour and human trafficking, all of which have in common the depravation of a person’s liberty by another to exploit them for personal or commercial gain.
We have a zero-tolerance approach to both modern slavery and human trafficking. All employees must be eligible to work in the relevant country, and employment must be freely chosen with no original identification documents retained by employers. There must be no one employed who is under the national minimum working age. All employees must be provided with good working conditions, fair treatment and reasonable rates of pay (which are in no way less than the legal minimum.)
The company recognises that the agricultural sector may be one of the risk areas for Modern Slavery. We operate a number of internal policies to ensure we are conducting business in an ethical and transparent manner. These policies include;
Freixenet Copestick Ltd employs an HR consultant to ensure all employees of the company are employed under fair terms and conditions, and that all statutory requirements and company policies are adhered too.
All recruitment to the company is overseen by a HR professional to ensure all recruitment is carried out with integrity.
The company recognises that raising awareness and the issues around Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking is required to ensure staff and suppliers are aware of their responsibilities. Audits
The Company recognises that exposure to the risk of Modern Slavery could be present within its 3rd party supply chain, primarily around the use of temporary labour. As part of our supplier approval process, suppliers are risk assessed to determine the appropriate depth and frequency of audit required. From 2019 these audits included an assessment of the use of temporary labour, compliance with relevant employment legislation and the observance of appropriate company policies”.
This statement covers the financial year 1st January 2022 to 31st December 2022.