FEDEX EXPRESS UK TRANSPORTATION LIMITED
MODERN SLAVERY ACT 2015 COMPLIANCE STATEMENT FOR 2021
This is the fourth annual Modern Slavery Statement to be published by FedEx. This statement covers both FedEx UK Limited, FedEx Express UK Limited and FedEx Express UK Transportation Limited, for financial year ending 31st May 2021.
See here for FedEx’s 2020, 2019, 2018 and 2017 statements.
Lawful and ethical behaviour is of paramount importance to FedEx and is critical to our continued success. The FedEx Code of Business Conduct and Ethics makes it clear that this is a requirement for all of our employees and places similar obligations upon suppliers to FedEx. As part of this requirement FedEx is committed to protecting and advancing human rights in all of our operations wherever they may be in the world.
This statement outlines the steps FedEx has taken to minimise the risk of modern slavery in its business and its supply chains in the last financial year and sets out FedEx’s future plans.
ABOUT FedEx AND ITS SUPPLY CHAINS
Within the United Kingdom FedEx provides international and domestic delivery services and mainly operates through three companies, FedEx Express UK Limited, FedEx UK Limited and FedEx Express UK Transportation Limited.
FedEx has a large and complex supply chain and has many direct supply arrangements on a global basis and on an individual in country basis.
For more information on the FedEx companies operating in the UK and our supply chains, see our 2017 statement.
RELEVANT POLICIES
The FedEx Code of Business Conduct and Ethics sets out the expectations that are relevant for all of our employees and for our suppliers wherever we do business in the world. Doing business in an ethical and responsible manner is already enshrined within our current set of policies and procedures. These policies and procedures help to ensure that Slavery and Human Trafficking do not occur within our business or our supply chains. For more detail on the relevant FedEx policies, see our 2017 statement.
We continue to maintain our strong culture of ethics and integrity that supports and encourages compliance with these internal policies.
DUE DILIGENCE
We are committed to ensuring there is transparency in our business and in our approach to tackling modern slavery throughout our supply chains. We fully expect the same high standards from our suppliers. We will check our high risk suppliers comply with our standards by asking them to complete our Modern Slavery Supplier Questionnaire. This Questionnaire asks suppliers to confirm, amongst other things, what steps they are taking to mitigate risks of modern slavery taking place in their own supply chains.
We ensure new suppliers have agreed to our high standards on Modern Slavery from the outset of the procurement process by; ensuring they agree to our tendering guidelines where applicable, including a clause requiring compliance with the Modern Slavery Act in all of our bespoke supplier contracts and requiring new suppliers to confirm their compliance with our standards on Modern Slavery by completing an on-boarding questionnaire.
RISK ASSESSMENT
We aim to mitigate risk by maintaining our policy on Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking and maintaining the FedEx Alert Line. This line can be accessed by all FedEx employees or any other person who wishes to raise a concern. We encourage employees and other parties to raise concerns about any issue or suspicion of modern slavery through the FedEx Alert Line. All reports received through the FedEx Alert Line are acted upon promptly. FedEx employees are also encouraged to report modern slavery issues or concerns in accordance with FedEx’s Open Door and Whistleblowing policies without fear of reprisal or retribution.
TRAINING
We provide mandatory training sessions every two years on the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and its requirements to our procurement function, being the function most directly involved with suppliers. We will now be moving our training courses online and have been working on implementing these. These training sessions are provided to the Procurement and HR functions. These training sessions aim to educate employees on Modern Slavery and our obligations under the Government’s legislation and to outline the steps which need to be taken each year to proactively monitor our supply chains and identify any risk of Modern Slavery occurring.
NEXT STEPS
During the next financial year, we will continue to:
• Seek to source its supplies in a responsible manner;
• Include modern slavery contractual provisions in its contracts with new suppliers;
• Expect and require its suppliers to operate in full compliance with all applicable laws;
• Maintain our high standards and identify ways to further enhance this;
• Review contractual terms for suppliers in relation to Modern Slavery;
• Look into conducting random audits on a select group of our high risk suppliers.
This statement is made pursuant to section 54(1) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and constitutes TNT ICS’s Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement for the financial year ended 31 May 2021.
BOARD APPROVAL
This statement is signed on behalf of FedEx by Steve Wilkins on November 25, 2021
TNT EXPRESS ICS LIMITED
MODERN SLAVERY ACT 2015 COMPLIANCE STATEMENT FOR 2021
This is the fourth annual Modern Slavery Statement to be published by FedEx. This statement covers both FedEx UK Limited, FedEx Express UK Limited and FedEx Express UK Transportation Limited, for financial year ending 31st May 2021. See here for FedEx’s 2020, 2019, 2018 and 2017 statements.
TNT ICS recognises that it has a responsibility to be alert to the risks of slavery, servitude, forced and compulsory labour and human trafficking (“modern slavery”). TNT ICS is committed to acting ethically and with integrity in all its business dealings and relationships and to implementing and enforcing effective systems and controls to ensure modern slavery is not taking place anywhere in its own business or in any of its supply chains.
This statement outlines the steps TNT ICS has taken to minimise the risk of modern slavery in its business and its supply chains in the last financial year and sets out TNT ICS’s future plans.
ABOUT TNT ICS AND ITS SUPPLY CHAINS
In May 2016, the TNT Group was acquired by FedEx Corporation (“FedEx”). FedEx has its head office in the United States. TNT ICS is therefore part of the FedEx Group of companies.
TNT ICS provides back office IT requirements to the FedEx Group on a global basis. FedEx Group provides parcel and freight delivery services on a national and international basis through its established pick-up and delivery network.
For more information on the FedEx companies operating in the UK and our supply chains, see our 2017 statement.
RELEVANT POLICIES
TNT ICS acts in accordance with FedEx’s Code of Business Conduct and Ethics. This Code sets out the expectations required of TNT ICS to ensure compliance with the law wherever it operates and to maintain high standards of business and personal ethics.
Doing business in an ethical and responsible manner is already enshrined within the set of policies and procedures which govern TNT ICS. These policies and procedures help to ensure that Slavery and Human Trafficking do not occur within its business or its supply chains. For more detail on the relevant TNT ICS policies, see our 2017 statement.
TNT ICS is continuing to maintain its strong culture of ethics and integrity that supports and encourages compliance with these internal policies.
DUE DILIGENCE PROCESSES IN RELATION TO MODERN SLAVERY
TNT ICS is committed to ensuring there is transparency in its business and in its approach to tackling modern slavery throughout its supply chains. TNT ICS fully expects the same high standards from its suppliers. TNT ICS will continue to build upon the robust compliance culture that it has in place by continuing to monitor high risk suppliers, and determining whether any of them may warrant further investigation and/or action. TNT ICS will continue to assess its supplier base in order to establish any changes in status from “low risk” to “high risk”.
TNT ICS also considers potential modern slavery risks at the outset of its relationship with new suppliers. TNT ICS does this by asking new suppliers to confirm whether they comply with the requirements of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 as part of its on-boarding due diligence.
TNT ICS also asks new suppliers to confirm whether they assess risks in their supply chain and if they implement appropriate procedures to mitigate any risks identified. Any new suppliers not providing satisfactory responses would be followed up and appropriate actions taken, including refusal to allow the supplier to become a vendor of TNT ICS.
TNT ICS does and will continue to seek to include within its supplier contracts a binding commitment requiring each supplier to act in accordance with all applicable anti-slavery and human trafficking laws in force, including but not limited to, the Modern Slavery Act 2015. TNT ICS has developed standard modern slavery compliance clauses which it includes in all bespoke supplier contracts.
RISK ASSESSMENT
TNT ICS aims to mitigate risk by maintaining its policy on Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking and maintaining its Alert Line. The Alert Line can be accessed by all TNT ICS employees or any other person who wishes to raise a concern. TNT ICS encourages its employees or other parties to raise concerns about any issue or suspicion of modern slavery through the Alert Line. All reports received through the Alert Line are acted upon promptly. TNT ICS employees are also encouraged to report modern slavery issues or concerns directly and openly to their line-managers or in accordance with TNT ICS’s Whistleblowing Policy Procedure. TNT ICS prohibits any form of retaliation against a person who reports in good faith any concern they have about any issue or suspicion of modern slavery.
TRAINING
TNT ICS has provided training on the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and its requirements to its procurement function, being the function that is most directly involved with suppliers. We will now be moving our training courses online and have been working on implementing these. These training sessions are provided to the Procurement and HR functions. These training sessions aim to educate employees on Modern Slavery and our obligations under the Government’s legislation and to outline the steps which need to be taken each year to proactively monitor our supply chains and identify any risk of Modern Slavery occurring.
NEXT STEPS
During the next financial year, TNT ICS will:
• Seek to source its supplies in a responsible manner;
• Include modern slavery contractual provisions in its contracts with new suppliers;
• Expect and require its suppliers to operate in full compliance with all applicable laws;
• Maintain its high standards and identify ways to further enhance this;
• Review contractual terms for suppliers in relation to Modern Slavery;
• Continue to look into concluding random audits on a select group of our high risk suppliers.
This statement is made pursuant to section 54(1) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and constitutes TNT ICS’s Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement for the financial year ended 31 May 2021.
BOARD APPROVAL
This statement is signed on behalf of the Board of Directors by Frank Jary on 25 November 2021.