This statement is made on behalf of the SIMEC Group (SIMEC) pursuant to section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 (the Act) and constitutes our slavery and human trafficking statement and is intended to demonstrate how SIMEC applies its values in the course of business and highlights the degree to which we view our duty to challenge and confront the use of forced, compulsory, trafficked or child labour within our own organisation and our supply chains.
SIMEC is an international group of companies that work for tomorrow’s generations as much as for today’s. On a planet of limited resources, rising population and cycles of prosperity and recession, we place great emphasis on making our enterprises both resilient and sustainable.
For more than 60 years we’ve operated in sectors that are fundamental to the economy: energy, metals, engineering, logistics, and more recently infrastructure, financial services, property and mining. We’ve always sought to add value to these industries by doing things differently, and that remains the prevailing spirit of our companies today.
At the heart of SIMEC’s approach is our focus on integrating and innovating to deliver value throughout the process; from the renewable energy that enables the recycling and processing of metal in our furnaces and mills, and the precision engineering in our manufacturing plants, to the industry-friendly financial services that enable trade and invigorate the whole business environment in which we operate.
With a range of physical assets and human resources spanning over 30 countries and more than 200 sites, our business is constantly growing and evolving in pursuit of our corporate vision. Our ability to deliver that vision is defined not only by the size of our operation, but by the quality of our people. We recruit the best, safeguard people and skills, and then invest to ensure they continue to grow as we do.
We have an industrial heritage that stretches back many decades but more importantly, we have an inspiring vision that delivers a smarter, more sustainable and viable future for both industry and society. It is a vision that will ensure we continue to push the boundaries and deliver
for many decades to come.
With resources spanning commodities trading, steel and aluminium manufacturing and recycling capabilities, advanced engineering, as well as financial and property services, SIMEC is individually owned and managed but collectively offer decades of expertise that delivers a strong competitive edge across the value chain.
Our principles, policies and code of conduct in respect of combatting slavery and human trafficking
In this world of limited resources, rising population and cycles of prosperity and recession, we need a new model for industry and a smarter way of using resources. SIMEC has a vision which sees a more sustainable and non--cyclical future for industry as a foundation for a stronger and more prosperous society.
SIMEC’s mission is to re-establish the pivotal position of metals manufacturing and engineering in the geographical markets where it operates through using local resources, sustainable energy, investment, technology and skills.
Its strategy for delivery uses its extensive industrial, commodity and financial resources that work together to achieve an outcome that is larger than the sum of its parts.
We are committed to ensuring that there is no modern slavery or human trafficking in our supply chains or in any part of our business. Our human rights policy reflects our commitment to acting ethically and with integrity in all our business relationships and to implementing and enforcing effective systems and controls to ensure slavery and human trafficking are not taking place any where in our supply chains.
SIMEC aspires to play an important role in the fight against the existence of slavery and human trafficking within the sectors in which we operate. We are keenly aware of the adverse impacts such practices have on the lives of vulnerable individuals. In the spirit of our GREENSTEEL philosophy which is based on sustainability and respect, we feel we have a particular duty to take a lead in upholding human rights through our business practice.
We have zero tolerance of slavery and human trafficking. To ensure all those in our supply chain and contractors comply with our values we have put in place a number of human rights focused policies.
In 2018, SIMEC introduced a human rights policy that demonstrates our commitment to combatting human rights abuses and modern slavery, encompassing internationally-recognised human rights such as those laid out in the International Bill of Human Rights and the International Labour Organisation’s Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, and illustrates how we expect to operate across SIMEC. Our human rights policy also sets out our intention to implement the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights in all areas of our business and to continually monitor SIMEC’s impact on human rights.
SIMEC’s human rights policy focuses on the core sectors of our business where we intend to be particularly mindful of our impact on human rights. In our capacity:
The human rights policy encourages all employees to raise any concerns, questions or grievances, and requires them to report any known or suspected violations of applicable laws, regulations, policies or ethics. Any concerns related to human rights internally or in our supply chain including forced compulsory, trafficked or child labour is to be reported in accordance with our whistleblowing policy.
In support of the human rights policy, SIMEC has also introduced a whistle-blowing policy to allow potential breaches of human rights and modern slavery concerns to be escalated and handled in a confidential and sensitive manner.
Prior to engaging with third party vendors or suppliers, we endeavour to screen for human rights breaches as part of our onboarding process.
SIMEC has produced a supplier charter, which-stipulates the standards expected of our suppliers, providing them with a principle-based approach on how we expect them to conduct business within both their own operations and within their own supply chains.
The supplier charter has five main tenets and requires that all of our suppliers should:
The implementation of our human rights policy, supplier charter, whistle blowing policy, external vendor and supplier onboarding policy are the 2018 steps taken as part of our mission to, create a series of underlying principles, systems and processes to systematically address modern slavery throughout SIMEC and our supply chains.
To ensure a high level of understanding of the risks of modern slavery and human trafficking in our supply chains and our business, we endeavour to provide training to our staff. SIMEC recognises that the knowledge, responsibility and conduct of our staff play an important role in mitigating the risk of slavery and human trafficking within our organisation.
This statement is made pursuant to section 54(1) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and constitutes SIMEC’s slavery and human trafficking statement for the financial year ending 2017.
Parduman Kumar Gupta, Director, February 2019