Antislavery and Human trafficking statement

Our business 

We are a leading boutique communications agency helping purpose driven businesses and organisations to evolve, promote and protect their brands and reputations. Our businesses around the world forms part of the Hive PR Group family of companies which are collectively held by Milk & Honey PR Trust Limited, an employee-owned trust. 

After 12 months of continuous employment, the team of brand, reputation, media, planning and digital strategists who drive award-winning creative communication programmes, become co-owners of the business.  

Our policies and ethos 

We are proud to be B Corporation accredited, holding us to the highest levels of social, environmental and ethical governance. We have several policies in place to prevent slavery and human trafficking in our supply chains and other parts of our business.  Our policies include: 

• Code of Conduct: Code of Conduct outlines the ethical responsibilities of our team, clients and suppliers, addressing common compliance and ethics issues facing global businesses today.  We are also accredited and regularly audited by Investors in People and PRCA  
• Human Rights Policy:  Our Human Rights Policy focuses on fostering an open and inclusive workplace based on human rights and includes the following components: respect for human rights, equal opportunity and non-discrimination, fair pay and working conditions, health and safety, prohibition of child labour and forced/bonded labour, support for freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining, the prohibition of bribery and the provision of a safe and secure working environment.    
•  

Milk & Honey PR does not permit, condone or otherwise accept any form of slavery and/or human trafficking (as defined in the Modern Slavery Act 2015) by its employees, subcontractors, contractors, agents, partners or any other organisation, entity, body, business or individual with whom we engage or do business. 

As a signatory of the U.N. Global Compact, we support internationally accepted principles regarding human rights, labour standards, the environment and anti-corruption, including the United Nations Declaration and core ILO conventions.   

We encourage all our employees, customers and other business partners to report to the management, any concerns they may have regarding our direct activities or our supply chains. This includes any circumstances that may give rise to increased risk of slavery or human trafficking. Our approach is designed to make it easy for employees to make disclosures in a confidential manner without fear of retaliation. 

If Milk & Honey PR suspects any slavery and human trafficking by an associated party, we reserve the right to report such suspicions, provide appropriate information to the relevant authorities and to suspend or terminate any associated engagement, business arrangement or contract. 

Our supply chain 

We buy goods and services for our internal use and our client work.  We internally consume goods and services related to IT, travel, telecommunications, professional services, facilities and IT management with established organisations.   We also use smaller suppliers in our client work, who provide photography, production work, market research operations and other marketing support services.   

We work with a network of affiliates and partners across the European region to serve clients where we do not have a physical presence.  We have a Code of Conduct that is specific to these relationships, and we have obtained their contractual commitment to adhere to our ethical standards.   

Risks in our supply chain and steps taken to assess and manage the risk 

While Milk & Honey PR, as a professional services firm, may have a low risk of slavery or human trafficking within our business activities, we have established a broad policy approach to reflect our commitment to principles-based behaviour and delivering on societal and operational responsibilities. 

We believe the greatest risk of slavery and human trafficking is in that part of our supply chain which is outside the direct control of our operations and managerial oversight.  To help manage this risk, we use our Code of Conduct so that subcontractors, freelancers, suppliers, clients and other third parties understand and agree to comply with our expected standards in business dealings related to Milk & Honey PR.   

In addition, we have reviewed the supplier base of our businesses considering geographical risk indices pertaining to human rights, the level of supply chain control and levels of political stability.  While low, we believe our greatest risk lies with our facility management suppliers.   

Milk & Honey PR Limited specifically requires suppliers to comply with the Modern Slavery Act 2015 in contracts where appropriate. In our standard terms with suppliers, we require suppliers to confirm they have not committed an offence under anti-slavery laws, are not under investigation for such an offence, are not aware of circumstances in their supply chain that could give rise to an anti-slavery offence and have effective controls in place to ensure compliance with anti-slavery laws. 

Our effectiveness in ensuring that slavery and human trafficking is not taking place 

We know that maintaining high standards of conduct is not achieved solely by good intentions.  It is achieved by clarity in articulating our mission and values to both our employees and stakeholders. Our Principles, as stated in our Code of Conduct, articulate the following core commitments: 

• We are committed to honesty, transparency, fair dealing, diversity, equity and inclusion; 
• We ensure business activity aligns with the interests of all stakeholders: clients, employees, and parties with whom we interact; and 
• We strive to model best practice in all areas of our business. We do not violate legal obligations. 

Our approach to training 

We are committed to giving our employees the tools to guide proper behaviour, including a Code of Conduct, a day-to-day Team Handbook, a PRCA ethics helpline and other compliance and ethics related policies and procedures. We invest in educating our staff on our B Corporation accredited Code of Conduct. Through this training, our employees are encouraged to identify and report illegal or unethical activity. 

Our commitment 

This statement is made pursuant to section 54(1) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and constitutes Milk & Honey PR UK’s anti-slavery and human trafficking statement for the financial year ending 31 December 2021. 

The board of directors of Hive PR Group has considered and approved this statement by board resolution on 4th August 2022, following which the Statement was signed by a Director.