SUPPLIERS – CODE OF CONDUCT & POLICIES

Doncasters is committed to sustainable supply chain management, to understand where materials come from and the journey they take from around the world to reach our sites. Our supply chain spans many countries and in some parts of the business includes multiple tiers. Our supply chain is essential to our success.

We share a common code of values with our suppliers and want to ensure that our suppliers have visibility of the issues that are important to us at Doncasters. This webpage includes helpful information and updates for our suppliers. Please read our Supplier Code of Conduct and supporting policies, which all our suppliers are required to comply with.

If you have concerns about anything you see or hear, please raise this. You can raise any concerns with your Doncasters account manager or anonymously using our dedicated SpeakUp hotline.

We expect our suppliers to:

  1. Act in accordance with the law.
  2. Operate with the highest ethical standards when doing business.
  3. Protect and empower people.
  4. Take strong action on diversity and inclusion, environment, responsible business conduct, social impact and governance.

In return, we strive to be a fair partner through our supply chain practices. We will:

  1. Maintain a supply chain that aligns to our standards of responsible business conduct.
  2. Support improvements in social, environmental and ethical practices.
  3. Ensure good working conditions for everyone working in our business.
  4. Treat suppliers fairly.

We like to remind all our suppliers about why this code and conduct and the related policies matter, so please feel free to read our blog:

Spotlight on Modern Slavery

What is Modern Slavery?

Modern slavery is where traffickers and slave masters use whatever means they have at their disposal to coerce, deceive and force individuals into a life of abuse, servitude and inhumane treatment. It can take several forms:

  • Forced Labour – this is any work or services which people are forced to do against their will under the threat of punishment.
  • Bonded Labour – this is when people borrow money they cannot repay and are required to work to pay off the debt, then lose control over the conditions of both their employment and the debt.
  • Domestic Slavery – this is when a person exploits and exercises control over another to force them into doing tasks of a domestic nature in unacceptable conditions.
  • Human Trafficking – this is when a person arranges or facilitates the travel of another person into a situation of exploitation.

How to Spot It

There are no absolute rules for determining whether a modern slavery situation exists. However, these key indicators could suggest a problem so please keep an eye out for the following:

  • Someone does excessive overtime.
  • Someone never seems to eat or have money despite working hard.
  • Someone seems isolated.
  • Someone has few personal possessions.
  • Someone has limited access to medical / dental care.
  • Someone does not have immediate access to their ID / passport.
  • Someone is fearful of authorities.
  • Someone does not have any PPE clothing.
  • Someone has poor living conditions.
  • Someone shows signs of physical or mental abuse.

How to Report a Concern

It is really important for us to be alert to modern slavery is, how to spot it and how to report any concerns. If something does not feel right, report it to your Doncasters’ key account manager or use our Speak Up hotline to report concerns. All concerns will be investigated fully in line with our Speak Up Whistleblowing policy.

Our Modern Slavery & Human Trafficking Policy can be found here on our Suppliers web page.

CODE OF CONDUCT & POLICIES