Gardener Chingford Modern Slavery Statement

Gardener Chingford is committed to preventing all forms of modern slavery and human trafficking across our operations and supply chains. This Modern Slavery Statement sets out our ongoing approach to identify, reduce and prevent any risk of exploitation. We maintain a zero-tolerance policy toward forced labour, bonded labour, child labour and any other practices that amount to modern slavery. Our anti-slavery statement applies to all employees, contractors and suppliers engaged by Gardener Chingford.

We expect everyone in our network to uphold the principles of our Modern Slavery Policy. Our Board and senior leadership take responsibility for the effectiveness of this modern slavery and human trafficking statement, with clear roles and accountability for implementing controls. We emphasise training, awareness and a culture of transparency so that concerns can be raised safely and without fear of retaliation.

Scope and commitments

This slavery and human trafficking statement covers direct operations, seasonal workers and third-party service providers. We have implemented due diligence processes to assess and manage risk across our sourcing and procurement activities. Our commitments include:

• Prevention: embedding anti-slavery requirements into contracts and purchase terms;
• Detection: carrying out targeted supplier assessments and audits;
• Remediation: taking prompt, proportionate action if issues are found.

Gardener Chingford enforces a strict zero-tolerance policy for any form of exploitation. We make it clear in our supplier code of conduct that evidence of forced labour, deceptive recruitment practices or retention of identity documents will lead to corrective action, up to and including termination of contracts. Our hiring and employment practices require that no recruitment fees are borne by workers and that all workers receive legally mandated pay and conditions.

Supplier audits and supplier due diligence

We operate a robust supplier audit programme that includes initial risk assessments, periodic on-site inspections and remote checks where necessary. Our supplier due diligence involves:

• risk-based supplier screening before onboarding;
• scheduled and unannounced audits focusing on working hours, pay, recruitment and accommodation;
• corrective action plans with follow-up verification.

We use audit findings to continuously refine procurement practices and to prioritise high-risk suppliers for remediation and capacity building.

To support transparency we require our suppliers to provide evidence of employment records, recruitment processes and any sub-contractor arrangements. We also encourage suppliers to adopt their own modern slavery statements and to cascade anti-slavery expectations down their supply chains. Where non-compliance is identified, we focus on remediation and worker protection while reserving the right to terminate relationships in cases of severe or systemic abuse.

Reporting channels and whistleblowing protections are central to our approach. We provide multiple safe and confidential channels for raising concerns, including anonymous reporting, internal escalation to trained compliance officers and third-party reporting mechanisms. All reports are treated seriously, investigated promptly and managed with confidentiality. We will not tolerate retaliation against anyone who raises a genuine concern in good faith.

Monitoring, records and continuous improvement Gardener Chingford maintains records of audits, investigations and corrective actions. These records support ongoing monitoring and help us measure the effectiveness of our anti-slavery measures. We train procurement teams and site managers on recognising signs of labour exploitation and on applying our supplier audit protocols. Continuous improvement is driven by lessons learned, stakeholder engagement and evolving best practices.

Annual review and future commitments We commit to an annual review of this modern slavery statement and our Modern Slavery Policy, to ensure continued relevance and effectiveness. The annual review evaluates audit outcomes, training completion, incident response times and remediation success. Findings are reported to senior management and used to update risk assessments, supplier engagement strategies and policy documentation. Gardener Chingford will continue to strengthen its anti-slavery programme and to cooperate with authorities and industry partners to eradicate modern slavery in all its forms.