Our Stance Against Modern Slavery

The Marketing Store (tms)

We are an agency focused on creating customer engagement programs for global and local brands, all underpinned by digital and data capabilities. tms has offices around the world and employs more than 900 people. We thrive on each other’s differences, from industry-leading insight formers to award-winning creative types; together, we create big, bold campaigns for many of the world’s best-known brands.

The HAVI Group LP is our parent company; a global, privately owned company focused on innovating, optimizing and managing the supply chains of leading brands. Offering services in marketing analytics, packaging, supply chain management and logistics, HAVI partners with companies to address challenges big and small across the supply chain, from commodity to customer. Founded in 1974, HAVI employs more than 10,000 people and serves customers in more than 100 countries.

Main Principles for Suppliers

We are fully aware of the responsibility we bear towards our customers, shareholders, employees and the communities in which we work. Thus, we have given ourselves a strict set of ethical values to guide us in our business dealings which reflects our commitment to respecting all human rights.

We also expect all our suppliers, i.e., all companies who do business with any HAVI company, to adhere to the same ethical and sustainability principles. For this purpose, HAVI has drawn up a Supplier Code of Conduct, which sets the standards for doing business with any HAVI company.

Laws and Ethical Standards

The supplier shall comply with all laws applicable to its business. The supplier should support the principles of the United Nations Global Compact, the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights as well as the 1998 International Labour Organization Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work in accordance with national law and practice. In the UK, this specifically includes following the letter and spirit of the Modern Slavery Act 2015. This especially applies to:

  • Child Labour
    The supplier shall comply with laws concerning the minimum age of employees and not employ any individuals who are underage. Where laws permit the performance of light work by minors, the supplier shall only permit a minor to carry out such work where it would not hinder their completion of compulsory schooling or training or would not otherwise be harmful to their health or development. [Reference: ILO Conventions C138 (minimum ages) and C182 (child labour)].
  • Forced Labour
    The supplier shall make no use of slave, forced, bonded, indentured or compulsory labour and should not retain any employees’ government-issued identification, passports or work permits as a condition of employment.
  • Employment Status
    Suppliers shall employ workers who are legally authorized to work in their location and facility and are responsible for validating employees’ eligibility to work status through appropriate documentation.
  • Compensation and Working Hours
    The supplier shall comply with the respective national laws and regulations regarding working hours, wages and benefits.
  • Discrimination
    The supplier shall provide equal employment opportunities to all people in all aspects of employer-employee relations without discrimination based on race, colour, national origin, sex, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Health & Safety

We expect our suppliers to strive to implement the standards of occupational health and safety at a high level.

The supplier complies with applicable occupational health and safety regulations and provides a work environment that is safe and conducive to good health, to preserve the health of employees and prevent accidents, injuries and work-related illnesses.

Business Continuity Planning

The supplier shall be prepared for any disruptions of its business (e.g., natural disasters, terrorism, software viruses, illness, pandemic, infectious diseases).

This preparedness especially includes disaster plans to protect both employees as well as the environment as far as possible from the effects of possible disasters that arise within the domain of operations.

Improper Payments/Bribery

The supplier shall comply with international anti-bribery standards as stated in the United Nations Global Compact as well as local anti-corruption and bribery laws. The supplier may not offer services, gifts or benefits to HAVI employees to influence employee conduct in representing HAVI.

Environment

The supplier shall comply with all applicable environmental laws, regulations and standards as well as implement an effective system to identify and eliminate potential hazards to the environment.

We expect our business partners to strive to support HAVI’s climate protection goals through the products and services they deliver (e.g. by providing relevant data on climate protection). In this regard, we also expect our suppliers to take climate protection appropriately into account in their own operations, e.g. by setting climate protection goals for themselves and achieving them or by making the most efficient use of resources and whenever possible use renewable or recyclable resources.

Business Partner Dialog

The supplier shall communicate the principles stated in the Code and detailed above to its subcontractors and other business partners who are involved in supplying the products and services described in the main contract. The supplier shall also ensure such parties adhere to the same standards.

Auditing & Compliance with the Supplier Code of Conduct

tms conducts audits and expects supplier compliance in the following areas:

1.  Supplier workplace accountability programme per facility that includes one or more of the following:

  • TMS social compliance programme and unannounced audits
  • ICTI Ethical Toy Program (https://www.ethicaltoyprogram.org/)
  • Sedex Members Ethical Trade Audits (SMETA) (https://www.sedexglobal.com/smeta-audit/)
  • Audits conducted by accredited third party auditors

2.  A supplier workplace accountability programme that is based upon the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) Base Code.

Statement Approval

This statement was approved by Mark Watson on July 7, 2023:

Mark Watson
Managing Director, Europe
The Marketing Store Europe Ltd. (tms)