Modern Slavery Statement

This slavery and human trafficking statement is made by Autosmart International Ltd pursuant to section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 for the financial year ending on 31 January 2025.

We are fully committed to preventing slavery and human trafficking in our operation and supply chain.

This statement sets out the steps we are taking to ensure that neither our business nor our direct supply chain use or traffic human slaves.

 

1. Organisation structure and supply chains

Autosmart International was established in the UK in 1979 and today is the trade’s favourite manufacturer and supplier of vehicle cleaning products in many territories around the world.

From our manufacturing operations in the UK, our products reach our customers through a network of international franchisees and distributors in the UK and Ireland, Europe and beyond.

Our supply chains include suppliers of raw materials, packaging, equipment, accessories and professional services from across the globe.

We expect our suppliers and contractors to demonstrate a zero tolerance approach to exploitation.

 

2.  Policies in relation to slavery and human trafficking

We regularly review and amend our company policies, to ensure that we are conducting business in an ethical and transparent manner. These include:

  • Recruitment Policy – we operate a robust recruitment process which includes conducting eligibility to work checks for all employees.
  • Whistle Blowing Policy and Bullying and Harassment Policy – so that all employees can raise concerns about how colleagues are being treated, or practices within our business or supply chain, without fear of reprisals.
  • Business Code of Conduct – followed by all our employees, franchisees and suppliers and places responsibility on all individuals to act legally and ethically at all times.

 

3. Due diligence and risk assessment

Our overall objective is to establish and maintain relationships with our suppliers that will minimise the risk that slavery or human trafficking could occur within our supply chains.

To mitigate against the risk of modern slavery and human trafficking in our supply chains, risk assessment and due diligence will focus on our supplier relationships.

 

4. Training on modern slavery and trafficking

To ensure a high level of understanding of the risks of modern slavery and human trafficking in our company, we have an active on-line training programme for employees.

 

5. Key performance indicators and next steps

We recognise the importance of taking proactive steps to address potential risks within our supply chain. As such, we aim to:

  • Assess Supply Chain Risks: We plan to review our supply chain to identify areas where there may be a heightened risk;
  • Review our Supplier Approval and Procurement processes: To ensure all suppliers comply with the provisions of the Act and grant us with the right to terminate contracts and agreements in the event of their failure to do so;
  • Introduce Supplier Audits Where Appropriate: We will consider conducting audits of suppliers, particularly in higher-risk areas, to better understand their practices and ensure they meet our expectations;
  • Regularly Review Relevant Policies: We are committed to reviewing our internal policies to ensure they support our goals around ethical practices and compliance with the Modern Slavery Act;
  • Increase Awareness and Provide Training: We recognise the need for training and awareness initiatives and will support employees to understand modern slavery risks and their role in identifying and addressing them.

 

The Board of Directors has overall responsibility for ensuring this policy and its implementation complies with our legal and ethical obligations. 

This statement has been approved by the Board of Directors, who will review and update it annually.

 

 

Statement by the director in performance of their statutory duties in accordance with S172(1) Companies Act

The Board of Directors consider that they have acted in a way that they consider would be most likely to promote the success of the company for the benefit of its members as a whole (having regard to the stakeholders and matters set out in s172(1) (a-f) of the act) in the decisions taken during the year ended 31 January 2024.

 

We have a 5-year strategic plan for the business, which means that our decisions are framed against these longer- term plans. Our investment in our new manufacturing site illustrates this. We update and review our strategic plan every year.

 

As a Board of Directors, our intention is to behave responsibly and ensure that management operate the business in a responsible manner, operating within high standards of business conduct and good governance.

 

The Directors understand the need to act fairly between stakeholders of the Company. As a privately held enterprise, our shareholders are all Directors of the company and involved in the day to running of the business.

 

Franchisees

Autosmart has over 175 franchisees, and each franchisee has invested significant funds into their partnership with Autosmart.

 

It is Autosmart’ s commitment to continue to invest in our franchise system, including the quality of the product range and future technologies.

 

We also commit to treating all franchisees fairly and equally, and we are bound by the Franchising Code of Conduct.

 

We collect feedback about our performance from our franchisees each year via an independent survey and we share these results, plus any associated improvement plans, with our franchisees.

 

Employees

The Company appreciates and understands the importance of the role of each of our employees, and our culture is one of regular two-way feedback, we are hands on, enjoy working together and go the extra mile for our customers.

 

The companies publish an annual plan and communicate regularly to keep employees up to date with progress against key initiatives.

 

Autosmart International and Service France participated in the independent “Best Companies to Work For” survey in March 2024 and were awarded  ‘One star- Very good to work for 2024’ , up from ‘One to watch’ in 2023.

Customers

Autosmart is a customer focused organisation. Our franchisees and salesmen offer high levels of service and product knowledge, and they visit most customers every month. This means that we collect customer feedback extremely frequently.

 

Suppliers

It is our policy to pay our suppliers on time and with fair terms set clearly between us. We use Dun and Bradstreet to measure our performance independently.

 

Community and the environment

Our group companies support a variety of charities and organisations, often with input and participation from our staff.

 

Autosmart International and Smartab hold the environmental kitemark ISO 14001 and have a continuous improvement programme in place to reduce their impact on the environment. Both Smartab and Autosmart International have an energy management and monitoring program. Our UK and Australian franchisees offer a top up service for detergents which means that the end-customer has a ‘Barrel for Life’ reducing plastic waste. There has been continued significant investment in the development of Nordic Swan products. This is an official Ecolabel for Nordic countries making it easy for consumers to choose the best environmental products.

 

Business conduct

The Company’s policy is to conduct our business in an honest and ethical manner. The Company is committed to acting professionally, fairly and with integrity in all business dealings and relationships wherever we operate.

 

There is a statement on the modern slavery act and human trafficking on our website.