Introduction
This statement addresses the period of 1st January 2025 – 31st December 2025 and is published in line with section 54(1) Modern Slavery Act 2015.
Modern slavery is a crime and a violation of fundamental human rights. It takes various forms, such as slavery, servitude, forced and compulsory labour and human trafficking, all of which have in common the deprivation of a person’s liberty by another in order to exploit them for personal or commercial gain. We have a zero-tolerance approach to modern slavery, and we are committed to acting ethically and with integrity in all our business dealings and relationships and to implementing and enforcing effective systems and controls to ensure modern slavery is not taking place anywhere in our own business or in any of our supply chains.
About Us
Dunster House is a family run business established in 1994. With over 30 years’ experience of designing, manufacturing and retailing we are the UK’s leading garden building supplier.
Employing over 450 people in the UK we are in control of are UK manufacturing and distribution due to our ownership of UK based factories and vehicle fleet. Our products can be deemed as seasonal however we pride ourselves in employee retention throughout the year, where peak periods occur any additional employees recruitment is attempted in-house in the first instance.
The same ownership own sister factories overseas in Estonia, Hungary and Poland. Products manufactured at our UK and sister factories contribute to majority of the sold goods allowing us a greater control over the supply chain.
We are committed to ensuring that workers are treated with respect and dignity ensuring we act ethically in our business dealings and relationships.
We are committed to act with integrity by implementing and enforcing systems and controls to safeguard our employees against any form of modern slavery.
We are committed to reviewing, creating and enhancing policies and procedures to mitigate risk.
Actions
Measures we have taken to identify and mitigate risks of modern slavery include:
- Transparency in our business practices and ensuring our methods of tackling modern slavery are consistent with the Modern Slavery Act of 2015.
- Company processes that include specific prohibition against the use of forced, trafficked labour, slavery and servitude.
- Ensuring all employees have access to this statement following the guidance outlined in the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and other relevant policies.
- Managing and risk assessing our supply chain.
Our Supply Chain
In assessing our processes, we have identified Dunster House’s supply chain risks. The ownership of UK and overseas sister factories allow confidence in this part of our supply chain.
We procure finished goods and raw materials from long term and trusted suppliers within the UK.
Where suppliers are from outside the UK and EEC and are deemed to be in a high-risk area due diligence will be completed prior to engaging in business activities.
Our primary sourced material is timber, which is recognised as a high-risk industry for Modern Slavery. To meet our obligations under the Modern Slavery Act 2015, we implement several measures, including:
- Sourcing timber and timber-related products from legally and sustainably managed forests, certified under FSC or PEFC standards.
- Ensuring certified forestry suppliers adhere to principles and criteria that promote ethical people management.
- Upholding a strong commitment to responsible purchasing, with external audits conducted by TDUK to verify compliance.
Where a potential supplier fails to show reasonable steps to protect against modern slavery and/or does not meet our supplier risk assessment then we will not engage in a business relationship.
Where an existing supplier fails to protect against modern slavery we will terminate any business relationships.
Due Diligence
All workers directly employed by the company are required to provide right to work information during interview, if successful, the candidate must provide right to work documentation at point of induction. Where concerns are raised at either interview or induction contact the modern slavery helpline on 0800 0121 700 or local police.
Majority of our workforce are recruited by our in-house team however on rare occasions we have used agency workers. If an agency is used, due diligence will take place on the instructed agency.
Agency workers are required to provide photo ID to accompany a CV which are visually checked during interview. Where an agency worker becomes a permanent employee, a physical copy of their right to work will be taken when the worker becomes an employee.
We carry out checks on suppliers within the supply chain and risk score suppliers based on annual spend. Where an existing or potential supplier is deemed high risk additional checks are required before committing or continuing with a business relationship.
We endeavour to create positive working relationships with our suppliers and where practicable will visit suppliers especially those manufacturing raw materials for Dunster House Ltd.
To date no evidence has been found that Modern Slavery exists within Dunster House Ltd’s supply chain.
Our Policies in Relation to Modern Slavery Act 2015
Our policies on this topic are included below:
- CO-GI-PO-07 Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Policy
- EH-EW-PO-15 Unacceptable Behaviour Policy
- CO-GI-PO-31 Whistle Blowing Policy
- CO-GI-PO-29 Anti-Bribery Policy
- CO-GI-PO-01 Timber Sustainability Policy
Training
We raise awareness of this statement and all our policies on and related to this topic to employees at point of induction.
The policies are published and available to all employees via document storage software.
Annual attestation and an internal training course are mandatory for all managers and key departments on Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking providing awareness on how to spot signs and report any concerns. This includes those involved in procurement, recruitment and manufacturing.
Planned Actions
Over the next year we will continue to develop and strengthen our action against Modern Slavery to mitigate risk within our business. Some of the steps we are taking include:
- Maintaining our current modern anti-slavery processes and expanding it where needed to fulfil our responsibilities under the Modern Slavery Act 2015.
- Reviewing related policies and procedures.
- Continuing our annual training.
- Following our due diligence processes for both our business and our supply chain.
- Continue with internal checks.
Approved and Signed on Behalf of Dunster House Ltd
Michael Hart-King
Director
Date: 1st January 2025 Review Date: 31st December 2025
1. Related Policies, Procedures and Forms
CO-GI-PO-07 Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Policy
EH-EW-PO-15 Unacceptable Behaviour Policy
CO-GI-PO-31 Whistle Blowing Policy
CO-GI-PO-29 Anti-Bribery Policy
CO-GI-PO-01 Timber Sustainability Policy
2. Department Responsible for Procedure
HR Department
3. Dates Approved or Amended
1 January 2025
4. Contact Information
All questions regarding this document should be sent to Human Resources – [email protected]
Send notifications of errors or changes to [email protected]