This Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement is made pursuant to Section54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and constitutes BioHorizons UK's (“BioHorizons UK”) slavery and human trafficking statement for the financial year ending 31 December 2016. This Statement sets out the steps BioHorizons UK takes to understand and address any risk of slavery and human trafficking related to its business.
BioHorizons UK, with its headquarters in Bracknell/Berkshire, is a subsidiary of Henry Schein Inc., a FORTUNE 500® company and a member of the S&P 500® and NASDAQ 100® Indices. BioHorizons UK operates its business in its own name. It has a well-developed system of internal authorities, controls and policies.
BioHorizons UK has more than 300 active suppliers for health care products and components globally.
The global Henry Schein group, including BioHorizons UK, is dedicated to maintaining the highest ethical standards. The most fundamental principle of our Worldwide Business Standards is to "adhere to the legal and regulatory requirements that govern all aspects of our business, including the procurement, sale and distribution of our products". This applies to our own organization as well as to third parties that we work and cooperate with.
Our working practices and Human Resource policies commit BioHorizons UK to providing a workplace that is free from discrimination, intimidation, hostility, and violence.
In 2016 the global Henry Schein group, including BioHorizons UK, has adopted a Supplier Code of Conduct (the Code) which is being integrated into our quality system. The Code sets out our expectations of suppliers in relation to human rights. It expressly states that suppliers have to provide an environment where employment decisions are based on free choice and may not involve forced or prison labor, physical punishment or threats of violence or other forms of physical, sexual, psychological or verbal abuse as a method of discipline or control. The code prohibits child labour and demands adherence to the minimum employment age limit as defined by applicable laws.
While we do not see any risk of forced labour or child labour within our own organization, we are reviewing the language in our HR policies in order to reinforce our zero tolerance message on such issues. We also aim to further increase the awareness of our team members while interacting with Henry Schein business partners globally.
Currently we are not aware of any forced labour or child labour within our supply chain, but we are taking steps to identify, better understand and address any such potential risks.
For existing suppliers, BioHorizons UK has started a process to identify potential risk areas. This process was started by adding a questionnaire to our standard set of documents requested from our suppliers in order to build transparency on this issue and to determine the level of social accountability and compliance within our supply chain.
For new suppliers, the requirements of the Code are being integrated into the initial supplier due diligence pack. Suppliers are expected to confirm in writing their adherence to the principles set forth in the Code.
In light of the Modern Slavery Act, we are assessing our interaction with suppliers and will review supplier responses to our questionnaires to continue to identify any areas of risk and concern. In the event that a real or potential risk is identified, we plan to commence supplier audits and we will seek to engage with any affected suppliers to address and eliminate any critical issues.