AESC UK – Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement for Financial Year 2023
Introduction
This AESC UK Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement demonstrates our commitment to continually improve our approach to preventing modern slavery in all of its forms by developing, implementing, and enforcing effective systems and controls. It has been prepared in compliance with Section 54, Part 6 of the Modern Slavery Act, 2015 which AESC UK fully supports.
Our Business and its Structure
AESC is the world’s leading battery technology company. Through AIoT-driven innovations in battery technology and multidisciplinary applications, AESC Group establishes scenarios to enable electric vehicles to participate in the renewable energy eco-system and provides a dynamic balance to promote common development of clean energy and the new energy electric vehicle industry.
It has existing manufacturing sites in UK, USA, Japan and China with a head office located near Yokohama, Japan. Additional manufacturing sites are under construction in UK, US, Japan, China, France, and Spain. Both existing, and new manufacturing sites, are supported from Global functions such as Research and Development, Purchasing, Industrial Strategy and Corporate Planning.
AESC UK is responsible for the Corporate Social Responsibility of the existing and new UK manufacturing sites. This includes ensuring Modern Slavery prevention controls are developed, implemented, and enforced at the UK sites.
Our Policies
How AESC UK manages its Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking activities is described in document LB_GOV_UK_005 – Modern Slavery Policy. This local document ensures AESC UK is compliant with the Modern Slavery Act, 2015. It is reviewed as a minimum annually to ensure it reflects latest legal requirements. This is supported by the AESC Global Human Rights Policy which covers global human rights issues including child labour and forced labour.
AESC UK reinforces its corporate social responsibility requirements, including human rights and modern slavery requirement in document UK-BAT-TP-8.1.4c – Master Production Agreement (MPA) which is issued to, and required to be signed up to by, all direct suppliers. This agreement also requires its suppliers to apply the AESC UK requirements down through the supply chain.
Due Diligence Process
AESC’s due diligence is performed by a combination of AESC Global Purchasing or by AESC UK Purchasing, dependent on the location of the supplier. This is performed in keeping with the guidelines
of internationally Recognised Non-government Organisations (NGOs). AESC UK only purchases from suppliers listed on its approved suppliers list. A requirement to becoming included on the approved supplier list is for the supplier to sign up to the Master Purchasing Agreement.
AESC UK reserves the right to suspend work with any supplier that fails to conform to its human rights and modern slavery requirements. Additionally, AESC UK may require a supplier to investigate and action any potential or actual incident of non-compliance.
Supply Chain Elements at Risk
Minerals form a key part of AESC UK’s electric vehicle battery products and are purchased through its approved supply chains. Risks associated with these minerals are managed by following NGO guidelines on mineral from conflict and high-risk areas to ensure they are only sourced from suppliers with no negative record for human rights or modern slavery offences.
Communications to Supplier Chain
AESC UK’s Modern Slavery requirements for its suppliers are communicated to our supply chain via the AESC Global Supplier CSR Guidelines. These echo the requirements of the AESC Group Human Rights Policy. They are reiterated in the AESC UK Master Purchasing Agreement which suppliers to the UK are required to sign to indicate their agreement to the corporate social responsibility requirements including those for slavery and human trafficking.
Effectiveness of Efforts
To date, AESC UK has had no confirmed or suspected instances of modern slavery or human trafficking in its activities, whether internally or externally through its supply chains.
Additional efforts to ensure no future instances occur include the development of dedicated Environmental and Social Governance resource at local level and to pursue active involvement in all related global AESC activities. Further development of the AESC ESG Management System (ESG) has occurred with the introduction of Supply Chain Due Diligence Policies at global and local levels.
Training
AESC UK makes its Modern Slavery Policy available to all employees, via the AESC UK Governance SharePoint site.
It is forms part of new employee inductions and periodic refresher training to existing employees. This ensures all AESC employees have an awareness of the role they have to play in addressing any potential or actual incident of slavery or human trafficking in the performance of their role.
When approved, the annual Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement is published on the AESC UK website https://aesc.co.uk and made available, on request, to all interested parties.
Approval
The statement applies to the period 1st April 2022 to 31st March 2023 which is the AESC UK financial year for 2023.
Chris Caygill
Managing Director
AESC
30-Apr-2024
