Modern Slavery Statement

Modern slavery statement

2022

Modern Slavery Statement

Modern Slavery & Human Trafficking Statement 2022
PDF
4.53 MB
  • Past reports

    Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement 2021
    PDF
    4.7 MB
    Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement 2020
    PDF
    2.94 MB
    Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement 2019
    PDF
    3.94 MB
    Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement 2018
    PDF
    4.49 MB
    Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement 2017
    PDF
    639 KB
    Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement 2016
    PDF
    462 KB

Modern slavery is a very real risk globally, including in developed markets. The latest global estimates indicate there are currently 50 million victims of modern slavery1. In 2021, 10 million more people were in modern slavery compared to 2016 global estimates. We know that we face a risk of involvement in modern slavery through our value chain, including through our suppliers.

Freedom from slavery is a human right and we incorporate our work on preventing and addressing any involvement in modern slavery into our broader human rights programme.

Preventing our involvement in modern slavery 

Preventing and addressing our own involvement in modern slavery is central to our sustainability approach; including our commitment to running a safe, responsible and profitable business.

We set clear expectations that our employees and suppliers (including contractors and agents) should be alert to possible involvement in modern slavery and should work to prevent and address it.

We know that adopting high standards is not enough. Knowledge sharing, such as targeted training programmes for employees, and action, including mitigation measures where we see a risk of involvement, are vital to ensure our work stays effective.

We work with governments and other organisations to contribute to more consistent, robust policy and regulatory initiatives around the world.


1 The Global Estimates of Modern Slavery, published by the International Labour Organization (ILO), International Organization for Migration (IOM) and international human rights group Walk Free, revealed that in 2021, some 50 million people were living in modern slavery: 28 million in forced labour and 22 million in forced marriages. (Global Estimates 2022).

“Treating people with care, dignity and respect – within our business, the communities where we operate, and our supply chains – is at the core of our values. This is also the foundation of our commitment to respect internationally recognised human rights, which includes freedom from all forms of modern slavery.”

- Jakob Stausholm, Chief Executive

Our statement on modern slavery

We publish an annual statement on modern slavery where we outline how we have performed in our response to addressing modern slavery, and our future areas of focus. It is an important opportunity for us to reflect on our efforts, share our progress and learnings, and recognise where challenges persist and what we can do better.

The statement includes a description of our structure, business and supply chains, including the policies, standards and processes that contribute to our control framework to respect human rights and help protect against our involvement in modern slavery. We identify where we may be involved in modern slavery risks in our business and supply chains. We also explain our due diligence processes for how we assess and mitigate modern slavery risks including our approach to training and capacity building and how we engage and collaborate with stakeholders. We describe our grievance mechanisms and remediation processes. We also explain how we assess the effectiveness of our actions and outline the process of consultation undertaken across our business. Our statements align with the requirements of modern slavery reporting laws globally.

Assessing our effectiveness

We track and assess the effectiveness of our actions in a number of ways:

  • internal tracking, including of due diligence and training activities
  • internal assurance, including internal audits and reviews
  • monitoring our asset and Group-level grievance mechanisms
  • engaging with business partners and external stakeholders for input and feedback
  • applying a theory of change and impact measurement framework to our modern slavery approach

Support for the UK and Australian Modern Slavery Act

We strongly support the UK and Australian Modern Slavery Acts and we proudly advocated for the Australian Modern Slavery Act’s establishment. In 2018, we publicly endorsed the introduction of the draft legislation and its final passage by the Australian Parliament, including by signing a multi-stakeholder letter to the Prime Minister. In 2023, as part of the three-year review of the Modern Slavery Act, we co-authored a submission to the Australian Government led-review with the Human Rights Resources and Energy Collaborative.

We continue to support the effective implementation of the Australian Modern Slavery Act. We continue to participate in collaborative initiatives such as the Human Rights Resources and Energy Collaborative, Minerals Council of Australia Modern Slavery Taskforce and the Global Compact Network Australia’s Modern Slavery Community of Practice, to share learnings, progress implementation of the Modern Slavery Acts and broader modern slavery risk management.

We also value and support the Australian Government’s work to develop additional modern slavery guidance and tools for businesses, including in relation to addressing modern slavery risks in the context of COVID-19.

Modern Slavery Statement

Practitioner-led collaboration

The Human Rights Resources and Energy Collaborative (HRREC) was formed in 2019 by practitioners committed to respecting human rights in our respective businesses and, addressing modern slavery risks in our operations and supply chains. It is a forum where practitioners can share learnings, challenges and develop best practice for respecting human rights.

Key achievements in 2022 included:

  • Developed and launched with Walk Free a Modern Slavery Response and Remedy Framework, which is designed to provide practical guidance to assist companies with their response to modern slavery or related exploitation in their supply chains or operations.
  • Developed guidance on social auditing in supply chains to promote a consistent, clear and effective approach for companies and suppliers in the industry and to use as training and awareness raising. This was designed to promote a “beyond audit” mindset and avoid pitfalls of auditing that was seen in the apparel and fast-moving goods industries.
  • Co-authored a submission to the Australian Government-led review of the Modern Slavery Act 2018 (Cth).

Contact our Human Rights team

Our 2022 reports

Ports Dampier and Marine

Reports

Our reporting reflects our commitment to sustainability and transparency
Sustainability reporting

Sustainability reporting

We have a responsibility to extract value from the minerals and materials we produce in the safest and most sustainable way possible
BlueSmelting™ project in Sorel-Tracy

Annual report

Our drive for innovation and continuous improvement is at the core of our purpose