Modern Slavery Statement - 2022

Modern Slavery Act 2015 - Transparency Statement 2022

LRQA is committed to preventing modern slavery and human trafficking throughout our organisation and our supply chain. This statement highlights activities we have taken, and will continue to take to combat the risk of modern slavery in our organisation and supply chain. 

Business overview

LRQA is a leading global assurance partner, bringing together unrivalled expertise in assessment, advisory, inspection and cybersecurity services to help our clients negotiate a rapidly changing risk landscape. Operating in more than 120 countries and recognised by over 30 accreditation bodies worldwide, LRQA covers almost every sector to achieve our purpose: shaping a better future together.

We’re proud of LRQA’s heritage, but it’s who we are today that really matters, because that’s what shapes how we partner with our clients tomorrow. By combining strong values and decades of experience in risk management with a keen focus on the future, we’re here to support clients build a safer, cleaner, more resilient and more ethical business.

Our position on modern slavery

As set out in our Code of Ethics and our Safeguarding Against Slavery Policy, LRQA has a zero-tolerance policy on modern slavery and human trafficking. We pursue this through a culture of transparency with our people, suppliers, and contractors. We do not support or deal with any business that we know are involved in slavery or human trafficking. We provide services that enable our clients to build the capability they need to monitor and remediate modern slavery practices within their own supply chains.

Internally, we raise awareness on modern slavery and human trafficking. All new employees are required to complete a mandatory training module on modern slavery risks and colleagues who identify or suspect potential modern slavery issues within our business or supply chain are encouraged to report their concerns. We are committed to implementing effective systems and controls to ensure that modern slavery and human trafficking does not take place anywhere within our supply chains.

Our supply chain

As a professional service provider, we procure a variety of goods and services to support our business including specialist services, office consumables, maintenance, cleaning, travel and PPE. Beginning in 2023, we will define and classify each category of supplier to ensure that we map the modern slavery risks presented in each category in the locations where we operate. The majority of our suppliers are sub- contractors, i.e., single experts operating out of their own small private company who provide a service on behalf of LRQA.

Our strategic procurement aims include:

• Stepping up due diligence activities for new suppliers and monitoring the performance of all suppliers against our requirements.
• Maintaining a high level of ethical standards within our supply chain.

Governance 

Accountability for our human rights and modern slavery relating to LRQA resides with our CEO. Responsibility for our supply chain day-to-day management is led by the Group Operations & Sustainable Procurement Manager, who will be working closely with the Head of Sustainability and the Legal, Risk and Compliance team.

LRQA will continue to work to raise awareness of modern slavery within LRQA by reviewing and evaluating the measures and processes that we have implemented, and continue to implement, to ensure their success.

An annual review of this statement will be conducted in conjunction with other stakeholders within LRQA, including Procurement, Sustainability and the Legal, Risk and Compliance team. This statement will be updated on an annual basis and approved by members of the Board before being published.

Our future plans

• Identify and moderate risks associated with our procurement process and supplier onboarding process by, at a minimum, requiring new suppliers to comply with our new Business Partner Code of Conduct (or have its own equivalent policies in place) and declare that they are not involved in modern slavery or human trafficking and have not been subject to any investigation in connection with any offence involving slavery or human trafficking.
• Launching a new LRQA Group-wide ethics and compliance programme as part of a risk and compliance uplift programme. As part of the programme we will launch:
  • A revised Code of Ethics. Our new Code of Ethics will contain our ethical principles, supported by our values and behaviours that guide our activities and include a section on modern slavery. The launch of the Code of Ethics will be supported by a mandatory training module for all colleagues.
  • A new Business Partner Code of Conduct, which sets out the principles we expect our external business partners to follow in their day-to-day activities for LRQA, including a section on modern slavery.
  • Revised Ethics and Compliance policies and procedures including a revised Safeguarding against Slavery Policy and new Speak Up Policy and Procedure.
  • A new independent whistleblowing channel, LRQA SpeakUp, which will supplement existing channels to raise concerns. LRQA SpeakUp will allow anyone to raise concerns confidentially and anonymously if they wish, at any time and in multiple languages. LRQA SpeakUp will be supported by a new Speak Up policy and procedure setting out how to raise concerns and what happens if you do raise a concern via LRQA SpeakUp.
  • Our modern slavery training will be rolled out to all existing employees.
• Communicating our policy with stakeholders (internal and external).
• Report the effectiveness of the measures we have set out here.