Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement Pursuant to the Modern Slavery Act 2015
Slavery and human trafficking are abhorrent crimes and we all have a responsibility to ensure that they do not continue. At CEMEX we are proud of the steps we have taken as a company to combat this practice and pride ourselves on conducting our business ethically and responsibly. The following shows our commitment to ensure that modern slavery is not taking place in our business or any of our supply chains.
We are a building materials company that manufactures ready-mixed concrete, cement and aggregates and we also supply and install asphalt materials, manufacture concrete block paving, rail products, bespoke pre-cast and concrete blocks. CEMEX UK Operations Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of CEMEX, S.A.B. de C.V. which has its head office in Monterrey, Mexico. CEMEX UK Operations Limited is the main operating company within the UK. Further information about CEMEX’s global operations can be found at www.cemex.com
As part of our initiative to identify and mitigate risk within our business and our supply chains:
- We, along with all other subsidiaries of our ultimate parent CEMEX, S.A.B. de C.V. (collectively the “CEMEX Group”) maintain and comply with CEMEX’s Code of Ethics “Our Code”, in which we set out our firm commitment never to use child or forced labour and safeguard fundamental human rights. See Our Code. Violation of Our Code is a disciplinary offence.
- All CEMEX Group employees are part of our ETHOS program, a worldwide CEMEX initiative which embodies our ethics and compliance culture. ETHOS features on the CEMEX intranet and provides information and assistance which enables employees to integrate ethics and compliance into their daily work. Amongst others, employees can call the “ETHOSLine”, which is a safe and confidential channel to ask questions and report violations related to ethics, compliance, and governance topics. All employees are required to undertake training to ensure that they understand the company’s ethics and standards.
- We embrace the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, also referred to as the “Ruggie Framework”. In April 2018 the CEMEX Group released its updated corporate Human Rights Policy where we express our commitment to comply with applicable laws, regulations, declarations and international treaties safeguarding human rights. See our Policy Statement
- We abide by a Conflict Minerals Policy Statement which sets out certain guidelines and criteria for the identification of Conflict Minerals. See our Conflict Minerals Policy
- The CEMEX Group is also a signatory member of the United Nations Global Compact, a strategic policy initiative for businesses that are committed to aligning their operations and strategies with 10 universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption. Please see our latest Communication on Progress of the United Nations Global Compact.
- As of 2017 we follow the GR1 Standards of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) to prepare our Integrated Report. Through the GRI Reporting Framework, we are obliged to disclose any use of child labour and forced or compulsory labour. For more information please access our latest Integrated Report and in GRI Content Index here.
- The CEMEX Group has developed a Global Policy for Third Parties, Code of Conduct for suppliers to adhere to our values, based on the above-mentioned and the UN Global Compact principles and we expect our suppliers to comply with this. See our Code of Conduct when Doing Business.
- To ensure all those in our supply chain and contractors comply with our values we have in place a due diligence process for onboarding and contractual relationships with third parties. Onboarding must follow established guidelines and relevant documentation must be provided and approved before we can enter into a business relationship. Before dealing with any third party, we must ensure that it is reputable, agrees to comply with the provisions of Our Code, and signs our Compliance Declaration. The Legal Department will assist in conducting a thorough due diligence review and in documenting the relationship with any prospective third-party. This should be done according to applicable policies. Where suppliers are not able to provide us with adequate assurance as to their compliance with our policies on, amongst others, slavery and human trafficking then we will cease trading with them unless they take verifiable steps towards compliance.
- Our HR Department has measures in place to monitor the terms upon which employees are engaged and remunerated.
To ensure a high level of understanding of the risks of modern slavery and human trafficking in our supply chains and our business, we provide relevant training and support to ensure compliance in this area. All senior management have been briefed on the subject.
This statement is made pursuant to section 54(1) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and constitutes our slavery and human trafficking statement for the financial year ending 31 December 2019 and is given by CEMEX UK Operations Limited on behalf of itself and its associated UK group companies.
VISHAL PURI
DIRECTOR
CEMEX UK
25 June 2020