Commitments & Statements
Introduction
This statement is made pursuant to Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, as Hanson Plywood Ltd meets the criteria of a commercial organisation with an annual turnover exceeding £36 million.
Hanson Plywood Ltd is committed to preventing modern slavery and human trafficking in all areas of our operations and supply chains. This statement outlines the steps we have taken during the financial year ending 31 December 2024 to ensure that slavery and human trafficking are not taking place in any part of our business or supply chains.
Our Organisation
Hanson Plywood Ltd operates from a single site in Halifax, West Yorkshire, employing 80 people. We specialise in the import, storage, and distribution of wood-based panel products. Our supply chains span multiple countries and include manufacturers, mills, and logistics providers.
Policies & Commitments
We have a number of internal policies that reflect our commitment to acting ethically and with integrity:
- Equal Opportunities Policy
- Anti-Corruption & Bribery Policy
- Health & Safety Policy
- Staff Privacy Policy
- Core Labour Statement (Chain of Custody Compliance)
These policies are supported by our Due Diligence System, which aligns with the UK Timber Regulation (UKTR) and Timber Development UK’s Responsible Purchasing Policy (RPP). We are also certified under the FSC® and PEFC Chain of Custody schemes, which include core labour requirements.
Due Diligence & Risk Management
We assess and mitigate risks of modern slavery through:
- Supplier agreements that include compliance with labour standards
- Ongoing engagement with suppliers to ensure transparency and ethical practices
- A system for identifying and addressing high-risk suppliers or regions
We are committed to transparency in our supply chains and work to ensure that modern slavery and human trafficking are not taking place at any level.
Training & Awareness
We provide regular training to relevant staff to help them identify signs of modern slavery and human trafficking. This is delivered through an e-learning platform that tracks completion and highlights training gaps.
Measuring Effectiveness
We are committed to continually improving our practices to combat modern slavery and protect human rights across our operations and supply chains.
To assess the effectiveness of our actions, we:
- Monitor supplier compliance through audits and documentation
- Track training completion rates
- Review and update our policies annually
- Investigate any concerns raised through our internal reporting mechanisms
Approval and Publication
This statement has been approved by the Board of Directors and signed by the Managing Director. This will be published on our company website and submitted to the UK Government’s Modern Slavery Statement Registry.
Introduction
Hanson Plywood Ltd has published this statement in accordance with the core labour requirements as published by FSC®. This statement demonstrates the methods which Hanson Plywood Ltd have taken to ensure they are ruling out Child and forced labour, eliminate discrimination within the workplace and to ensure they are respecting the freedom and right of workers to associate and the effective recognition of the right to collectively bargain, under FSC-STD-40-004 V3. In the application of the FSC core labour requirements, Hanson Plywood Ltd shall give due consideration to the rights and obligations established by national law, while at the same time fulfilling the objectives of the requirements that have been given by the Forestry Steward Council.
Hanson Plywood Ltd maintains a self-assessment document in line with FSC requirements and makes it available for annual external audits.
1. Hanson Plywood Ltd shall not use child labour
Hanson Plywood Ltd will follow national and local laws or regulations when it comes to employment. We do not employ any persons under the age of 16 years of age for office or light work This is by company policy and in line with UK national law.
No person under the age of 18 is employed in hazardous or heavy work except for the purpose of training within approved national laws and regulations.
Hanson Plywood Ltd acknowledges that ILO requirements permit the employment of persons aged 13 to 15 in light work, provided it does not interfere with their education or harm their health or development. In such cases, work must be limited to outside school hours and during normal daytime hours. However, this provision is not applicable to Hanson Plywood Ltd, as the company does not employ anyone under the age of 16. Hanson Plywood Ltd shall forbid the worst forms of child labour.
2. Hanson Plywood Ltd shall eliminate forced labour
Employment within Hanson Plywood Ltd is a mutual understanding and agreement between both parties (employee and employer). A contract is drafted up by a third-party HR consultant in line with applicable labour laws and regulations. Once signed, this is an agreement to the terms of employment but can be further reviewed any time with a member of the management team. No practices of coercion, threat, or deception are used in recruitment or employment.
There is no evidence within the company of forced labour including but not limited to:
- threats or actual physical harm to the worker.
- restriction of movement or confinement to the workplace.
- debt bondages.
- withholding of wages or excessive wages reductions.
- retention of identity documents.
- threat of denunciations to the authorities.
3. Hanson Plywood Ltd shall eliminate discrimination in employment and occupation
Hanson Plywood Ltd is committed to providing a workplace free from discrimination and upholding the principles of equality, diversity, and inclusion. The organisation ensures that all employment and occupational practices are non-discriminatory and based solely on merit, qualifications, and business needs.
Discrimination on the basis of any of the following protected characteristics is strictly prohibited:
- Age
- Disability
- Gender reassignment
- Marriage and civil partnership
- Pregnancy and maternity
- Race (including colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin)
- Religion or belief
- Sex
- Sexual orientation
Hanson Plywood Ltd has an Equal Opportunities Policy in place and takes active steps to ensure that all employees are treated fairly and with respect throughout the employment lifecycle, from recruitment and training to promotion and termination. Any form of harassment, victimisation, or unequal treatment will not be tolerated and will be addressed promptly and appropriately.
4. Hanson Plywood Ltd respects the right to freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining
Hanson Plywood Ltd respect the freedom of association and the effective right to collective bargaining.
Workers can establish or join worker organisations of their own choosing. There will be no consequences.
The organisation respects the full freedom of workers’ organisations to draw up their constitutions and rules.
The organisation respects the rights of workers to engage in lawful activities related to forming, joining, or assisting a workers’ organisation, or refrain from doing the same, and will not discriminate or punish workers for exercising these rights. No retaliation will occur from union involvement.
The organisation negotiates with lawfully established workers ‘organisations and/ or duly elected representatives in good faith and with the best efforts to reach a collective bargaining agreement.
Collective bargaining agreements, where applicable, are respected and implemented.
Environmental
Hanson Plywood follows a path of sustainable development by way of creating a balance between the economic, environmental and social aspects of our business.
The organisation consistently endeavours to preserve the environment and reduce all environmental impacts that result from the daily activities and operations of Hanson Plywood. In order to improve, reduce and mitigate risks of any adverse impacts inflicted on the environment, the company has an Environmental Management System in place which assesses these risks and sets out documented processes to ensure they are efficiently and effectively managed.
The company recognises that although wood and wood-related products are a renewable material, unsustainable and irresponsible harvesting of forests can have severe adverse effects on the environment, local communities, indigenous forest people and the global economy. Hanson Plywood has a robust Due Diligence System in place that satisfies the requirements of the UK Timber Regulation (UKTR). This system has been developed using Timber Development UK’s (TDUK) Responsible Purchasing Policy (RPP) as a foundation and ensures that we are assessing and mitigating the risk of our products originating from illegal and unsustainable sources. This system and our purchases are audited annually by TDUK’s selected auditors, Soil Association.
The company is also a signatory to both FSC® and PEFC Chain of Custody Schemes and has respective management systems in place with the aim to monitor compliance with these schemes. As an FSC® Chain of Custody certificate holder, we are committed to their values and ensure that we are not directly or indirectly involved in the following activities:
- illegal logging or the trade in illegal wood or forest products.
- violation of traditional and human rights in forestry operations.
- destruction of high conservation values in forestry operations.
- significant conversion of forests to plantations or non-forest use.
- introduction of genetically modified organisms in forestry operations.
- violation of any of the ILO Core Conventions, as defined in the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, 1998.
Fundamental to the environmental policy are colleagues who are aware of current legislative requirements applicable to waste disposal, energy consumption, vehicular emissions and health and safety and are actively involved in ensuring the company is fully compliant in all areas. Hanson Plywood are fully committed to ensuring the company does not stagnate so that it can evolve and continually improve in its approach to crucial environmental matters.
Net Zero
Hanson Plywood is driven to reduce our carbon footprint and are consistently evolving our processes and programs as we work towards carbon neutrality and net zero.
The company is enrolled in Planet Mark’s Business Certification scheme. The requirements of this scheme are that we must submit annual carbon emission data for Scope 1, Scope2 and some ‘core’ Scope 3 emissions that are easily under organisational control (e.g. waste generated in operations and business travel) and then we must report a minimum annual reduction of our scopes 1 and 2 emissions by at least 5% to retain certification.
At this stage, we are currently able to report on Scopes 1 & 2 for our business operations. We are able to report on part of our Scope 3 emissions and are currently engaged with our entire supply chain to collect carbon emission data for products and services provided upstream and downstream. Part of this process includes gathering lifecycle assessment data and Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs); we have this data for the majority of our supply chain and are engaging with the remaining suppliers on a regular basis. We are aiming to have the entirety of our Scope 3 emissions measurable by the end of 2025.
Through this process of carbon reduction, Hanson Plywood has recognised the need for investment and infrastructure changes to the company’s office, transport and warehouse facilities. We are pleased to report that since starting this journey, we have now implemented and invested in the following:
- One of West Yorkshire’s first fully Electric Heavy Goods Vehicles which is operating across the M62 corridor daily.
- A fleet of fully electric CombiLift Forklift Trucks for order picking and warehouse management accompanied with a custom-built battery charging station.
- A new warehouse facility equipped with a Solar Panel system that generates up to 220,000 kwh of energy per year which is enough to power our office and warehouse operations.
- A new fully renewable energy contract for any energy required above and beyond our Solar Panel capabilities.
- A new plastic packaging alternative created from sugar cane which is fully biodegradable to protect our products.
- A new waste management system that ensures our wood waste is being reused for alternative applications and not disposed of through anaerobic digestion.
- A company vehicle scheme for all external sales representatives for full electric vehicles.
- On-site electric car charging for up to 10 vehicles powered from our own solar energy.
There are various short-term benefits to these initiatives in that they are already reducing emissions and our reliance on fossil fuels. In the long-term however, we feel that in investing in these initiatives we are helping to fund innovation and investment in the carbon economy sector.
While we recognise the progress we have made, we understand the need for continual improvement to ensure that we achieve net zero and play our part in preventing global temperatures from rising by more than 1.5°.
