Gardeners Wallington Modern Slavery Statement

Gardeners Wallington affirms a zero-tolerance policy toward all forms of modern slavery and human trafficking. This statement sets out how the Gardeners of Wallington approach prevention, detection and remediation of slavery and labour exploitation across our operations and supply chains. Our commitment covers employees, contractors and suppliers engaged by the Wallington gardening team.

Scope and principles: We operate on the principle that everyone has the right to work with dignity and security. Gardeners in Wallington adopts policies aligned with relevant laws and international standards. Our actions are guided by transparency, proportional enforcement, and continuous improvement to reduce risk of forced labour, debt bondage and other exploitative practices.

Supplier expectations and due diligence

We require all suppliers and subcontractors to meet our code of conduct. Expectations include lawful employment, freedom of movement, fair wages and safe working conditions. Suppliers to Wallington gardening services must:

• Comply with applicable labour laws and provide evidence of lawful recruitment;
• Maintain records demonstrating working hours, pay and identity verification;
• Allow audits and corrective action plans when issues are identified.

Supplier audits and monitoring

Gardeners Wallington operates a risk-based supplier auditing programme. We prioritise audits by risk factors such as geographic location, labour intensity and subcontracting practices. Audits combine documentary review, site visits and worker interviews where appropriate. Findings are recorded, and suppliers must agree to timebound corrective action plans or face contract termination.

Our audit approach for Wallington gardeners includes periodic unannounced checks, validation of payroll and recruitment records, and verification that third-party recruiters follow lawful practices. We also conduct remote assessments where in-person visits are impractical, maintaining a robust trail of evidence for each supplier relationship.

Reporting channels and protections

Gardeners Wallington provides multiple confidential reporting channels for employees, agency workers and suppliers to raise concerns. Reports can be made internally through designated managers or anonymously via our whistleblowing process. We ensure:

• Confidentiality for reporters, with protections against retaliation;
• Clear guidance on how issues are escalated, investigated and resolved;
• Support for affected individuals, including temporary relocation and access to recovery services where needed.

Training and capacity building form a key part of our prevention strategy. Staff, supervisors and procurement teams in the Gardeners of Wallington receive regular training on recognising signs of exploitation, conducting risk assessments and applying our supplier policies. We also provide targeted guidance to smaller contractors to help them comply with standards and to reduce inadvertent exposure to exploitative practices.

When incidents or risks are identified, our first priority is the welfare of the affected person. Gardeners Wallington implements remediation measures, which may include working with suppliers to remediate conditions, facilitating access to compensation, or terminating contracts where remediation is not possible. We document outcomes and feed lessons back into policy updates.

Monitoring, KPIs and continuous improvement — We track key performance indicators such as number of supplier audits completed, percentage of corrective actions closed, training completion rates and number of reports investigated. These metrics are reviewed by senior management to ensure accountability and improvement across the Wallington gardening network.

Annual review and governance — Gardeners Wallington conducts an annual review of this Modern Slavery Statement and associated policies. The review assesses the effectiveness of due diligence, audit outcomes, training and remediation measures and updates the statement to reflect changes in operations or risk. Our governing body formally approves the statement and oversees implementation to ensure ongoing alignment with our zero-tolerance approach.

Conclusion: The Gardeners Wallington commitment is to prevent modern slavery in all aspects of our work. We will continue to strengthen our processes, work collaboratively with suppliers and uphold ethical labour standards across our operations and supply chains.