This statement sets out the actions The Vegan Society is taking to address the issue of modern slavery (slavery and human trafficking) following the implementation of section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015.
Our Organisation
The Vegan Society is the world’s oldest vegan society whose co-founder Donald Watson defined the term ‘vegan’ in 1944. We are a registered educational charity that provides information and guidance on various aspects of veganism, including to existing and potential vegans, caterers, healthcare professionals, educators and the media. Our product registration scheme, the Vegan Trademark, is widely recognised as the global standard for vegan products, ensuring that products are free from animal ingredients and animal testing.
Our Policies
In this statement we will set out the actions that we have committed to take to reduce the risk of any modern slavery which could be actively prevented by the organisation.
Health & Safety Policy: All staff are inducted with our H&S policy and this document is updated on an annual basis.
Recruitment Policy: We conduct checks on work eligibility for all employees to safeguard against human trafficking or individuals forced to work against their will. We operate a fair and robust recruitment procedure.
Equal Opportunities & Diversity Policy: We are fully committed to encouraging equality and diversity among our workforce and eliminating unlawful discrimination. Our terms and conditions of service apply fair and consistent treatment to all staff.
Code of Conduct: This code outlines the society’s commitment to how we expect our employees, contractors, and suppliers to act.
Whistleblowing Policy: We encourage all employees to report any situations or incidents that may fall under a protected disclosure, this includes any incidents and circumstances that may encourage an enhanced risk of human trafficking or slavery.
High-Risk Areas
The society carries out campaigns and works with global businesses and organisations of various sizes. We are committed to ensuring that this statement covers the types of activities that we undertake and that the businesses in our supply chain have diligently taken the actions below on modern slavery as defined by the Act.
- They have taken steps to eradicate modern slavery in their business.
- They hold their own suppliers to account.
The society expects the same high standards from all of our suppliers and contractors. We conduct due diligence on all suppliers and contractors to ensure that they have never been convicted of offences relating to modern slavery. We reserve the right to terminate any contracts at any point if the society becomes aware of any proven incidents of modern slavery.
Ongoing Review and Training
We are committed to ending modern slavery. The commitment to delivering the actions outlined in our high-risk areas, supporting our staff and key stakeholders will be reviewed and monitored in line with new legislation introduced.
This statement was approved by the society’s Board of Trustees on 3 September 2021.
