The Science Museum Group (a trading name of the Board of Trustees of the Science Museum) (“SMG”) is the world’s largest group of science and technology museums and receives over 5 million visitors annually.
SMG contracts with a significant number of suppliers to facilitate its activities at its various sites.
Whilst SMG’s business and supply chains are not especially susceptible to slavery and human trafficking SMG is committed to conducting its affairs and acquiring goods and services without causing harm to others.
In furtherance of this aim SMG makes this statement (pursuant to Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 (the “Act”)) to set out the steps that it has taken and is continuing to take to ensure that modern slavery or human trafficking is not taking place within its own operations or its supply chain.
- SMG often procures goods and services through framework agreements and shall review its requirements for suppliers in respect of ethical standards (such as the Base Code of the Ethical Trading Initiative) when engaging with international supply chains and which identify and audit supply chains which represent a medium- to high-risk of modern slavery, human trafficking, forced and bonded labour, and labour rights violations.
- SMG and its trading company are introducing clauses into their standard contracts requiring suppliers and other contractors to ensure that modern slavery, human trafficking, forced and bonded labour, and labour rights violations do not occur in their supply chain.
- SMG operates a robust recruitment policy, including conducting eligibility to work in the UK checks for all employees to safeguard against human trafficking or individuals being forced to work against their will.
- Over the coming financial year, SMG shall consider how best to conduct its due diligence on key suppliers to ensure that they are observing acceptable ethical standards in relation to modern slavery and human trafficking. SMG will consider how best to ensure suppliers are compliant with the Act and to give assurances that they enforce acceptable ethical standards both within their own business and within their supply chains.
- If SMG discovers that suppliers (or potential suppliers) are, or have been, involved in modern slavery SMG’s policy is to do one or more of the following:
- report any unlawful behaviour to the relevant authorities;
- take reasonable steps to encourage the supplier to remedy any unlawful or unethical behaviour;
- take reasonable steps to require the supplier to provide further assurances that all unlawful or unethical behaviour has ceased and will not recur; and where possible, refrain from placing any future business to those suppliers.
- SMG will be notifying relevant staff of the law in this sector and on the consequences of modern slavery, human trafficking, forced and bonded labour, and labour rights violations.
- During Financial Year 2017-2018 SMG shall appoint an internal group headed by its General Counsel and Head of Procurement to review compliance with the Act.
Sept 2017 v2
