OUR RESPONSABILITY

Statement on Modern Slavery

Introduction

Modern slavery is a heinous crime and a morally reprehensible act that deprives a person's liberty and dignity for another person's gain. It is a real problem for millions of people around the world, including many in developed countries, who are being kept and exploited in various forms of slavery. Every company is at risk of being involved in this crime through its own operations and its supply chain.

At Acium Ltd, we have a zero-tolerance approach to modern slavery and are fully committed to preventing slavery and human trafficking in our operation and supply chain. We have taken concrete steps to tackle modern slavery, as outlined in our statement. This statement sets out the actions that we have taken to understand all potential modern slavery risks related to our business, and to implement steps to prevent slavery and human trafficking.

 

Our business and supply chains

  • Acium Ltd is a pharmaceutical company which is in the business of developing generic medicinal products for human consumption targeted mainly for the UK market.

  • We have contract research organisations based in Asia and contract manufacturing organisations based in Europe.

  • We aim to successfully sell our manufactured products to the UK market at a sustainable and cost effective rate that adds product value to the end customer.

Our main supply chains are as follows:

  • Contract research organisations based in Asia

  • Contract manufacturing organisations based in Europe

  • Business and trading services based in the UK

  • Professional services

We establish a relationship of trust and integrity with all our suppliers, which is built upon mutually beneficial factors. Our supplier selection and on-boarding procedure includes due diligence of the supplier's reputation, respect for the law, compliance with health, safety and environmental standards, and references.

We haven't been made aware of any allegations of human trafficking/slavery activities against any of our suppliers, but if we were, then we would act immediately against the supplier and report it to the authorities.

 

Our Policies

Acium Ltd operates the following policies for identifying and preventing slavery and human trafficking in our operations:

  • Whistleblowing Policy - we encourage all employees, customers, and suppliers to report any suspicion of slavery or human trafficking without fear of retaliation.

  • Code of Conduct - our code encourages employees to do the right thing by clearly stating the actions and behaviour expected of them when representing the business. We strive to maintain the highest standards of employee conduct and ethical behaviour when operating abroad and managing our supply chain.

  • Purchasing Code - we have updated our Purchasing Code and supplier contracts to make explicit reference to slavery and human trafficking.

 

Due Diligence processes for Slavery and Human Trafficking

Acium Ltd conducts due diligence on all new suppliers during on-boarding and on existing suppliers at regular intervals.

  • Identify inappropriate employment practices.

  • Identify, assess, and monitor other potential risk areas.

  • Risk assess new suppliers according to our standard operating procedures

  • Mitigate the risk of slavery and human trafficking occurring.

  • Protect whistle-blowers; and

  • Investigate reports of Modern Slavery.

 

Training & Awareness

Acium Ltd has raised awareness of modern slavery issues by providing all staff with specific training, which explains the following:

  • Understand the definition of Modern Slavery.

  • Red flags for potential cases of slavery or human trafficking

  • Take the correct action if you suspect a case of Modern Slavery.

 

Covid-19

We understand that some workers may be more vulnerable to modern slavery during the coronavirus pandemic. The company adopted government guidelines for Covid-19 secure workplaces in order to prevent the spread of coronavirus and has conducted a workplace risk assessment.

 

Statement

This statement is made pursuant to section 54(1) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 (the “MSA”) and constitutes the slavery and human trafficking statement for Acium Ltd. It will replace any previous statements published, effective upon approval by the Executive Board.