Modern slavery statement

 

About Flag

Flag is a global sustainability agency that provides strategy, communications, data management and reporting support to some of the world’s leading brands.

Organisational structure

Flag employs teams across the UK, US, Canada, Spain and Japan, and acquired ESG Communications in 2022.

Flag operates within the professional services sector, which is not deemed to be a higher-risk industry for modern slavery practices. However, we are mindful of the potential for modern slavery to occur within our operations and the need to implement robust measures to mitigate this risk.

Who we work with

We work with leading B2B and B2C organisations across a variety of industries. These sectors include, but are not limited to, agriculture, apparel, automotive, chemicals, construction, energy, finance, food and beverage, healthcare, materials, pharmaceuticals, retail, technology, telecommunications, transport, travel and utilities.

 

Social responsibility

As an agency dedicated to helping global brands shape robust sustainability strategies and enhance transparency through reporting and communications, we are committed to social responsibility within our own operations. The Modern Slavery Act 2015 requires businesses to publicly report on the steps they are taking to prevent modern slavery in their operations and supply chains.

This Modern Slavery Statement, as well as our policies – as outlined below – and our operations, complies with the recommendations outlined in the Act.

 

Policies and compliance

Whistleblowing Policy

Our Whistleblowing Policy, which applies to all employees, provides an internal mechanism for reporting, investigating and remedying any wrongdoing or danger in the workplace. It sets out the procedures by which people can report concerns about workplace practices, without fear of reprisals.

There are various channels that our employees can use to raise concerns. These include:

  • talking with an appropriate manager
  • contacting the HR department
  • if the disclosure is extremely serious or involves the HR department, reporting a concern directly to the CEO.

 

Addressing key risks within our operations

Pay and recruitment are two key areas where we can take positive action to ensure that modern slavery does not occur in our business.

Pay structures

Although we are not accredited as a Living Wage Employer, we do ensure that our employees receive a fair level of pay that exceeds the living wage.

Recruitment

All employees joining Flag are subject to robust onboarding checks. These include reference checks, right-to-work checks, criminal record checks, and education and professional qualification checks. These allow our recruitment team to identify any potential red flags for modern slavery and investigate any discrepancies or irregularities.

 

Our supply chain

Our supply chain represents our greatest exposure to modern slavery. It covers a wide range of products and services, which fall into the following categories:

  • technology sourcing
  • talent procurement
  • real estate and workplace services (including on-site cleaning services, maintenance and food catering)
  • travel, meetings and events services.

Due diligence

All suppliers are required to review and comply with our Code of Conduct. This policy ensures that our supply chain has a duty of care by which it abides. Our resourcing managers work closely with our suppliers, and our suppliers are reviewed annually to ensure they are complying and can be retained on our preferred supplier list.

Risk assessment and management

Flag does not currently undertake any modern slavery risk assessment measures.

To improve our supply chain management, we intend to carry out risk assessments and take advanced steps to manage our third-party suppliers. Such actions may include interviewing employees within the supply chain or creating an annual questionnaire for suppliers to complete.

 

Our next steps

To ensure that we continue to assess and develop our anti-modern slavery measures, we aim to:

  • develop an internal training programme to raise awareness of modern slavery and human trafficking among our staff
  • improve our supply chain management by developing and utilising a modern slavery assessment questionnaire when identifying new suppliers
  • measure our effectiveness in ensuring that slavery and human trafficking are not taking place in our business or supply chains against key performance indicators
  • better identify the areas of our supply chain that face the highest risk of modern slavery and human trafficking.