ME+EM
MODERN SLAVERY STATEMENT
2024 - 2025As part of our commitment to the UK Modern Slavery Act 2015 we are sharing our Modern Slavery Statement for the financial year 2024 – 2025. The contents of this statement are aligned with the Home Office’s Statutory Guidance.
UK MODERN SLAVERY ACT 2015 (“UK ACT”)
Under the UK Act, companies providing goods and services in the country, with UK operations and a turnover of £36m or more are obliged to publish an annual Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement setting out the steps they have taken to ensure modern slavery and human trafficking is not taking place in their supply chain or own business.
ME+EM STATEMENT FOR THE 2024 – 25 REPORTING YEAR
This is our fourth statement under the UK Act, outlining our current strategies to prevent and mitigate modern slavery within our business and wider relationships and to highlight areas of focus for the coming year.
What is Modern Slavery?
‘Modern Slavery refers to situations of exploitation in which a person cannot refuse or leave because of threats, violence, coercion, deception, or abuse of power’. Walk Free are the producers of the Global Slavery Index and refer to the following forms of modern slavery.'Walk FreeHuman trafficking is a process of bringing a person into a situation of exploitation through a series of actions, including deceptive recruitment and coercion.
Forced labour is any work or services which people are not doing voluntarily, and which is exacted under a threat of some form of punishment. Bonded labour is demanded as a means of repayment of a debt or a loan.
Slavery is a situation where a person exercises (perceived) power of ownership over another person.
Whilst modern slavery exists in all sectors, we recognise that there are heightened vulnerabilities within our industry due to the complexity of supply chains and the labour practices within the industry and particularly in lower tiers of the supply chain. ME+EM does not tolerate any form of the above examples of modern slavery within our supply chains or direct relationships. We are actively committed to supporting our supply chain partners in the prevention and mitigation of modern slavery and through our own direct business relationships, as outlined in this statement.
Contents
1 | Our business and supply chain
- Our story and commitment
- CSR Governance
- Partnerships and Living Wages
- Key Activities in 2024-2025
2 | Policies in relation to modern slavery and human trafficking
- Our code of conduct and policies
- Banned Sourcing Regions
3 | Due diligence processes
- Supplier Auditing and Self-Assessment Questionnaire
- Reporting
- Whistle Blowing and Grievance Mechanisms
- Commitment to Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining
4 | Risk assessment and management
- Risk Assessment Outcomes
- Mitigating Risk
- Our programme in action
5 | Training on modern slavery and trafficking
- Raising awareness and developing expertise
6 | Forward looking actions
- Looking ahead to 2024/25 objectives and areas of focus
1 | Organisation Structure and Supply Chains
OUR STORY
Founded in 2009 by Clare Hornby, ME+EM was built on four pillars: flattering, functional, fair, and forever. Clare saw a gap in the market for luxury-quality womenswear that is responsibly made, designed entirely in-house, and sold directly to consumers—eliminating traditional retail markups. ME+EM proudly stands as the UK’s first modern luxury direct-to-consumer womenswear brand.
Fairness and transparency are at the heart of how we work—with our teams, suppliers, and customers. We value collaboration and long-term partnerships, always communicating with honesty and authenticity.
As the brand and the fashion industry have evolved, our commitment to fairness and responsibility has deepened. We continually review every aspect of our business to reduce our environmental impact and make more responsible choices—for our planet, our people, and everyone across our supply chain.
Working with internal and external experts, we have developed a comprehensive roadmap toward becoming the most socially and environmentally responsible version of ME+EM. Our dedicated Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) team leads this initiative, ensuring accountability and monitoring modern slavery across our operations.
Based in White City, West London, ME+EM employs over 300 people. We are a digitally native, international brand with 9 UK stores, 3 UK concessions (Selfridges London, Manchester, and Harrods London), 6 US stores, and a third party-managed warehouse in Leeds.
Our Commitment
Good relationships are part of our DNA. It is essential to us that we work directly with factories that not only have extraordinary skills to share but also share the same ethos as us. We take our relationships with people and the planet very seriously. From the suppliers and factories we work with to our packaging and non-stock suppliers, we are constantly reviewing and evolving our practices to become the most considered and considerate brand we can be. This is a continual work in progress where we aim to become better every year.
A key part of this commitment is upholding and advancing internationally recognised human rights and labour standards for all individuals across our global supply chain and within our own business operations. Our core commitment is guided by the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) Base Code and includes ensuring:
● Employment is Freely Chosen: Zero tolerance for modern slavery, human trafficking, forced labour, or child labour.
● Fair Wages and Working Hours: Workers are provided a fair living wage and are not subjected to excessive working hours.
● Safe Environment: Safe, healthy, and secure working conditions.
● Respect and Dignity: Freedom from discrimination and the right to freedom of association and collective bargaining.
We embed this commitment through our overall Ethical Trading strategy, which includes continuous monitoring, rigorous auditing of our supply base, and policies and procedures to proactively identify, prevent, mitigate, and remediate human rights risks. Our policy and position is to take any allegation of human rights abuse seriously and work tirelessly to protect the welfare of all people in our supply chain.
CSR Governance at ME+EM
ME+EM has established a governance framework with policies and processes to embed CSR across its operations. The Board and Senior Leadership team oversee CSR matters, including identifying, mitigating, and addressing human rights risks such as modern slavery. This framework ensures accountability and effective management of social, environmental, and governance issues. The CSR team is composed of department leaders and a dedicated Sustainability team, which includes a Head of CSR and Sustainability Coordinator, with an Ethical Trade Manager joining in August 2025. The team also receive support from a Senior Sustainability Coordinator at Sedex one day a week for reporting, audit data, and compliance. The business has invested in a specific resource to manage ethical trade, focusing on supplier compliance, social auditing, traceability, and supply chain mapping.
Senior management directs the company’s overall strategy and values, including responses to any human rights violations. Day-to-day, the Sustainability team advances the human rights agenda by working with suppliers, promoting the code of conduct, and managing risk. The Buying team ensures suppliers align with ME+EM’s responsible business values, onboarding them through established processes and prioritising responsible purchasing and long-term, transparent supplier relationships.
Partnerships
Collective action and partnerships with key organisations are crucial for driving systemic change and expanding impact on ESG issues – partnering with these organisations accelerates ME+EM’s progress on environmental, social, and governance.
Standard | Summary |
|---|---|
Ethical Trading Initiative | In March 2022, we graduated to full membership of the Ethical Trade Initiative, an organisation dedicated to bringing about long-term change and respect for workers worldwide. As members of the ETI, we have adopted its internationally recognised base code of labour standards which is based on the standards of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) as the foundations of our own code of conduct, specifically relating to protecting and promoting workers' rights and the prevention of modern slavery. |
Sedex | We are members of SEDEX, an organisation that helps companies improve their responsible business practices. We follow the SMETA audit framework for all suppliers and require all our suppliers to be members of Sedex so that we have full transparency of their business operations and how workers are treated. This is achieved through a rigorous auditing framework and assessing sites to ensure workers rights are protected. |
Textile Exchange | Textile Exchange is a global non-profit driving positive impact on climate change and nature across the fashion and textile industry. The organisation guides and supports brands, retailers, manufacturers, farmers, and others committed to climate action toward more purposeful production, from the start of the supply chain. ME+EM adopt Textile Exchange standards in our responsible sourcing work, participate in relevant working groups and engage in the organisation’s commitments and reporting. |
The Responsible Animal Fibre | The Responsible Animal Fibre (RAF) standard is a Textile Exchange third-party certification standard guaranteeing that wool, mohair or alpaca comes from responsibly managed farms, in compliance with stringent criteria for animal welfare and ensures traceability throughout the entire production process. ME+EM were proud to obtain certification to the standard in August 2023. |
Living Wages
In 2022, ME+EM became an accredited Living Wage Employer, committing to pay a fair wage based on the real cost of living—not just the government minimum. This applies to both our employees and third-party contracted staff, reinforcing our belief that respect for human rights starts with fair pay.
As part of our modern slavery and human rights priorities, we collect wage data across our supply chain to drive conversations on living wage policies and ensure ethical practices. We are also focused on planning stable, manageable orders with our factories to avoid excessive hours or unstable working conditions.
To strengthen our human rights due diligence, we continue to build supply chain traceability down to raw material level. Greater transparency will help us identify risks, prevent exploitation, and create opportunities for collaboration across the sector to address modern slavery more effectively.
Our Supplier Relationships
We understand that transparency and traceability within our business relationships are crucial for us to understand where there could be vulnerabilities for occurrences of modern slavery and human rights abuses. We categorise our relationships with suppliers as:
Non-Stock Suppliers who provide purchased services to support the operations of the business. These include logistics, printing, packaging, real estate, legal, warehousing and office facilities.
Stock Supply chains are integral to the manufacturing of our collections that includes production sites, trim providers, laundries, fabric mills and raw material producers.
All our supplier relationships are important and have a level of risk, we acknowledge that our stock suppliers require our focus to ensure there are no occurrences of modern slavery. We therefore strategically work with stock suppliers where we have a direct relationship and visibility of the site where our collections are being made.
We acknowledge that the main production site represents one element of our wider chain and as such we have begun a comprehensive process to further map our stock supply chain as below. We will continue to map each tier as is aligned with our ethical road map and prioritisation of risk based on the supplier’s location and nature of activity. Although modern slavery and human rights abuses can occur anywhere in the supply chain, they are more likely to occur in the lower tiers where there is less visibility.
2024-2025 Key Achievements
Scope | Action | Status |
|---|---|---|
Stock Supply Chain | Continue to map our stock supply chain beyond tier 1, with focus on volume fabric suppliers and tanneries | Achieved and ongoing |
Agree responsible and certified cotton sourcing targets | Continued to assess and review | |
Agree our approach to ETI transparency framework | Achieved and ongoing | |
Update and cascade stock supplier manual including updates to our CSR policies | Achieved | |
Top 30 Suppliers to have a valid SMETA audit | 88% achieved | |
Issued supplier feedback survey to all suppliers | Achieved | |
Achieve Positive Luxury Butterfly Mark Certification | Achieved | |
Non-Stock Suppliers | Third party code of conduct to be included in ME+EM handbook | In review |
Liaise with and support UK third party warehouse in their own due diligence to prevent slavery in their workplace | Ongoing | |
ME+EM Direct Employees | Update employee manual | Achieved |
Conducted responsible purchase practice training for buying team | Achieved |
Positive Luxury - Butterfly Mark
In recognition of our sustainability and ethical trade commitments and actions we achieved Positive Luxury’s Butterfly Mark certification.
This assessment means ME+EM have independent validation at brand level and have been comprehensively assessed and scored against all key areas of CSR. Our performance has also been assessed against international agreements, global frameworks, standards and legislation.
We spent over 12 months working through the assessment process covering 400 questions with supporting evidence required. This assessment was led by the Sustainability function with key inputs from the People Team. The assessment modules cover Social, Governance and Environment. Data from all existing projects was used such as carbon capture, net zero strategy, audit information, certified material usage, responsible purchasing practices, supplier policies and chemical compliance information.
We scored 88% compliance or ‘Excellent’ across the Social Module, 85% for Human Rights and Modern Slavery. We are proud of this score and recognise more improvements can be made which will be our focus in 2025-2026.
Our Supply Chain and Sourcing
We manage our sourcing network with a strategic, risk-based approach to ensure our partners align with our commitment to human rights and ethical trade. By prioritising long-term, direct relationships, we gain essential visibility into production sites, enabling robust monitoring and collaborative risk mitigation from the outset.
ME+EM manufactures finished goods through a global network of 3rd party suppliers and source materials through the same network and direct routes. We have 60 suppliers spanning the globe with 73 tier 1 factories. Our sourcing countries with the highest value include Portugal, Turkey, China and India.
There are approximately 19,697 workers employed by our tier 1 suppliers, consisting of 7,480 male and 12,217 female workers.
Our supply chain is split into the following tiers:
Tier | Definition | Description | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
Tier 1 | Main production site | Principal manufacturing location of our collections | Fully mapped |
Tier 2 | Secondary site /Subcontractor | Sewing, cutting, laundry | Partially mapped |
Tier 3 | Fabrics and components | Fabric mills and trims | Partially mapped |
Tier 4 | Raw materials | Farmer | Partially mapped |
Supply chain Data across Clothing, Footwear + Accessories
Country | No of sites |
|---|---|
Portugal | 16 |
China | 12 |
Italy | 11 |
Türkiye / Turkey | 10 |
India | 5 |
Spain | 4 |
UK | 4 |
Romania | 2 |
Bulgaria | 3 |
Mauritius | 1 |
Nepal | 1 |
Sri Lanka | 1 |
Vietnam | 1 |
Indonesia | 1 |
Madagascar | 1 |
Total | 73 |
2 | Policies
We believe everyone in our global supply chain deserves the rights and protections as set out in the ETI Code of Conduct, including no child labour, safe working conditions, fair wages, reasonable hours, and environmental protection. This Code underpins our Ethical Trading strategy, which includes supplier monitoring and auditing.
To ensure suppliers understand and meet our standards, including policies on slavery and human trafficking, we maintain a regularly reviewed Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) policy, shared with all suppliers. Compliance with this policy is required to become an approved ME+EM manufacturing partner.
We are committed to respecting labour rights in our supply chain, so suppliers must agree to this code of conduct as part of their contractual agreement when accepting ME+EM purchase orders. Our code of conduct states that employment must be freely chosen and that child labour must not under any circumstances be used, and this is included in our CSR policy. Our CSR policy includes the following declarations which all ME+EM suppliers must adhere to in full:
● CSR Declaration and latest Audit
● Animal Testing and Animal Welfare Policy and Declaration
● Code of Conduct Policy and Declaration
● Forced Labour and Human Trafficking Policy and Declaration
● Cotton Sourcing Policy and Declaration
● Anti-Bribery policy and Declaration
● Restricted Substances Policy and Declaration
● Data Protection Policy and Declaration
Banned Sourcing Regions
We require suppliers to comply with our Forced Labour and Human Trafficking Policy. We identify Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Myanmar as banned countries where goods can be made, and in addition to this XUAR (Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region) in China. Our Cotton sourcing policy outlines that sourcing is prohibited from Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Xinjiang. This is due to ongoing concerns of forced labour and violations of human rights.
ME+EM Direct Employees
For direct employees, we carry out appropriate due diligence on the right to work and appropriate supporting documentation. All employees directly employed by us receive training and a comprehensive handbook which outlines our policies on:
● Whistleblowing Policy
● Anti-Bribery + Corruption Policy
● Disciplinary Policy
● Modern Slavery + Human Trafficking Policy
● Grievance Policy
● Diversity, equality and inclusivity policy
This handbook is regularly updated and easily accessible through our human resources online platform
3 | Due Diligence Processes
Supplier Auditing
We are an engaged member of the Sedex community and use their globally recognised auditing methodology Sedex Members Ethical Trade Audit (SMETA) as the benchmark for monitoring and assessing our suppliers’ approach and performance to prevent human rights violations in their supply chains.
SMETA audits are governed by the standards contained in the Ethical Trading Initiative base code, specifically reporting on labour standards and health & safety. The audit reports for our suppliers are held on the Sedex database which is also used as an interactive tool for suppliers to upload appropriate information that gives us greater visibility of their ethical practices.
In the event that a supplier has an audit where non-compliances are found, they are given a summary of the action required to resolve the non-compliance and a time frame in which to satisfy the auditors recommendations. All active ME+EM suppliers must provide audit visibility every two years, or annually for sites in China and Turkey. We have been working with our suppliers to conduct SMETA audits as our preferred auditing methodology. We are pleased that 88% have achieved this, including our top 10 manufacturing sites.
Self-Assessment Questionnaire
All Sedex member suppliers are required to complete the Sedex Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ). The SAQ gathers information about suppliers’ business practices, management systems, policies, and worker conditions to assess compliance with international labour standards. The questionnaire requests suppliers to confirm whether they have a modern slavery policy—including forced or involuntary prison labour—communicated to all workers, and whether they have evaluated modern slavery risks in their workforce and that of their suppliers, subcontractors, or business partners. In 2024–2025, 72% of our suppliers completed the SAQ, and we aim to increase this to 90% in 2025–2026.
Reporting
We have developed an internal reporting system to capture and monitor supplier audit outcomes, with a focus on identifying and addressing any non-compliances related to labour standards. Each issue is assessed for severity, and we apply our own scoring to ensure prompt and proportionate remediation with the supplier. While SMETA audits recommend timelines for resolution, we require faster action where there is a potential risk to workers. Audit outcomes are presented in a dashboard separated by supplier origin, enabling us to identify regional trends and systemic risks. Key findings and priority actions are shared with the leadership team monthly to ensure accountability and continuous improvement.
Whistle Blowing and Grievance Mechanisms
We provide a whistle blowing procedure in the employee handbook which explains how an employee can communicate their concern through internal escalation or contact details for an independent organisation where advice and support can be obtained. In addition to this we provide contact details for a dedicated modern slavery helpline. As part of our forward objectives we will be assessing grievance and whistleblowing mechanism options for our stock suppliers.
Commitment to Trade Union Rights, Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining
Guided by the Ethical Trade Initiative (ETI) Base Code, ME+EM upholds the rights of all workers in our supply chain to freedom of association and collective bargaining. This commitment supports workers' opportunities to join trade unions, engage in related activities without fear of discrimination, and use parallel means of representation where union activity is restricted. We are committed to strengthening direct worker engagement and transparency, particularly in high-risk sourcing regions such as China and Turkey. Our steps include:
● Identifying Representation: Identifying suppliers that have established worker representation
● NGO and Trade Union Partnerships: Proactively seeking and strengthening links with NGOs and trade unions to enhance worker dialogue. In 2024, we worked with an NGO in Madagascar to gain a deeper understanding of local challenges and provide support to our sourcing partner.
● Monitoring and Engagement: We track the presence of worker representatives and encourage their active participation during site visits as a key part of our due diligence process.
4 | Risk Assessment and Management
One of the key focuses of the CSR team is to assess our stock suppliers due to the higher risk to modern slavery in these supply chains. Through the creation of our internal dashboard we can understand risk by county and region which dictates our focus. We use multiple sources to identify risks in our supply chain, including the Sedex suite of risk tools that combines information from several sources including:
● ILO (International Labour Organisation)
● Walk Free
● UNDP (United Nations Development Programme)
● WEF (World Economic Forum)
● ITUC (International Trade Union Confederation)
● UNICEF
At ME+EM, we monitor and assess our supply chain through factory visits, social audits, Sedex Self-Assessment Questionnaires (SAQ), risk assessment tools, and our own supplier reviews. As members of the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI), we engage with global issues affecting workers, such as displaced people from Ukraine and the 2023 earthquakes in Turkey. We prohibit sourcing from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and are part of the Coalition to End Forced Labour in collaboration with Anti-Slavery International.
We demonstrate our commitment to best practice and responsible sourcing through our collaboration with recognised industry bodies and adoption of their standards. To strengthen traceability and risk management, we have joined the Leather Working Group (2022) and Textile Exchange (2023), achieving the Responsible Animal Fiber certification. We are expanding our use of certified materials by pursuing standards such as the Good Cashmere Standard and GOTS. Furthermore, our Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) membership enables us to share insights with other brands and promote industry-wide transparency.
We review auditing dashboards monthly at leadership level. Any evidence of human rights violations would be escalated to the board with recommended actions. Our priority is protecting workers—whether by working with suppliers on remediation or, if necessary, responsibly ending relationships.
We also strategically work with nominated stock suppliers, maintaining direct relationships and visibility into their production sites, and are actively mapping our supply chain beyond Tier 1 to enhance transparency and mitigate risks in lower tiers.
Risk Assessment
We conduct periodic risk assessments across our supply chain to identify, monitor, and mitigate inherent and supplier specific sourcing risks. Our assessments utilise the comprehensive Sedex risk reporting framework, covering Country, Region, and Sector risks, as well as Forced Labour Insights and Audit Indicator Details.
The CSR team analyses risk ratings for our main sourcing countries, based on a review of key labour issues including discrimination, forced labour, freedom of association, child labour, gender, employment, wages, and working hours:
Identified Risks and Steps Taken:
Forced Labour and other risks in the cotton supply chains
o We are aware that there is a risk of modern slavery in global cotton supply chains, specifically in the lower supplier tiers. We have adopted a strict cotton policy that prohibits suppliers sourcing from Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and China. This is due to credible concerns of forced labour and human rights violations in specific regions where cotton is grown in these countries. In addition to this policy, we have increased our use of certified, organic cotton, which provides traceability to the source of the cotton and therefore mitigates the risk of forced labour as these standards uphold strict social standards.
Migrant and Refugee workers
o We have identified the migrant risk in our top 5 manufacturing countries (Portugal, China, Italy, Turkey, India) We collect and analyse data on the number of migrant workers in these countries from social audits for our tier 1 manufacturing sites. From the audits we monitor worker representation and look for evidence of robust human resources to ensure migrant workers receive compliant wages and benefits and other example of good practice such as translated policies in the workers local language. We are looking to go beyond audit and engage with The Reassurance Network, who provide in country support to brands and manufacturers, promote responsible supply chains and protect human rights.
Temporary workers and the use of subcontracting
o The use of temporary and subcontracted workers presents a heightened risk of modern slavery. Seasonal production peaks and smaller production runs also undermine regular and consistent contracts for workers and encourage reliance on sub-contracting for flexibility. We recognise the need to engage with suppliers to ensure our ways of working are conducive with our supplier’s ability to responsibly manage their capacity and commitment to their workers. We have begun supplier engagement to map subcontractors beyond Tier 1 and we are investing in traceability platforms to hold this data. We request that all suppliers seek permission prior to using a site that is not approved by ME+EM and we plan to engage with The Reassurance Network to support our teams with visiting new sites.
Mitigating Risk
We manage risk through a structured and proactive mitigation strategy. Our immediate priority is a rigorous follow-up process with suppliers after audit publication, ensuring they promptly acknowledge findings and provide mandatory updates on all non-compliance actions. We maintain strict control over our supply base, including carefully managing the number of sites and suppliers we use in China, and requiring annual audits for factories in both China and Turkey.
Our operational oversight is robust, with our Product and CSR teams incorporating mandatory risk follow ups during every trip. We ensure continuous senior management oversight through monthly risk updates and maintain transparency and engagement by regularly communicating with all suppliers, conducting supplier feedback surveys, and continually monitoring regional news to anticipate and address emerging risks.
We are committed to continuous process monitoring, with mitigation actions adapted specifically to regional and supplier risks. For the 2025-2026 financial year, we will further strengthen our risk assessment and mitigation strategy, including investing in external expertise, to ensure the robust protection of all workers from modern slavery. Our specific objectives are outlined in Section 7.
Our programme in action
To date we have not received any reports through our grievance mechanism or whistleblowing procedures from direct employees of ME+EM.
We achieved 100% audit visibility in 2024/2025 for our active supplier base and we have not been informed or discovered any evidence of modern slavery through the auditing process. Over the course of the next financial year we will aim to set additional KPI’s to monitor the effectiveness of our modern slavery efforts. Such KPI’s will cover areas such as training and supplier engagement.
As part of our ongoing commitment to visibility and identifying risk, we have supported our valued suppliers by covering the cost of audits when needed and assisting them through the remediation process, demonstrating our dedication to continuous improvement and partnership.
5 | Training & Communication
Responsible Purchase Practice Training
In September 2024, we partnered with the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) to deliver Responsible Purchasing Practices training for our buying team. The session explored the link between purchasing decisions and human rights, highlighting how these dynamics play out within ME+EM. The session identified key areas for improvement, introduced relevant frameworks, and outlined practical approaches to help shape an effective action plan.
We recognise the impact our purchasing practices can have on suppliers and the potential pressure this places on workers—particularly those most vulnerable to exploitation. As part of our ongoing commitment to responsible sourcing, we are currently reviewing training options for 2025–2026 to further empower our teams. Our goal is to ensure our teams fully understand their influence and keep ethical considerations at the forefront of their decision making.
Preferred Materials Tool
We launched a Preferred Materials Tool for our buying and design teams to facilitate the selection of certified materials. This initiative has significantly enhanced our understanding of traceability and verified sources, and we are committed to continuously building upon this framework to further improve knowledge across the business.
Communication
Effective communication and training are central to embedding our zero-tolerance approach to modern slavery. Our updated supplier manual and CSR policies set clear expectations, and in 2023 we extended enhanced requirements beyond Tier 1 to include key fabric and trim suppliers.
Internally, our CSR team shares audit results, remediation actions, and risk alerts to ensure human rights considerations are part of everyday decision making. Externally, we engage suppliers through regular updates, performance reviews, and in-person visits, which also serve as training opportunities to share best practice and address risks.
We are committed to building supplier capability through open dialogue, guidance, and recognition of strong practices. 10 of our supplier relationships span over 15 years, highlighting our strong relationships with suppliers. We continue to prioritise open, honest engagement, supported by regular site visits to strengthen partnerships and assess conditions firsthand.
6 | 2025-2026 Objectives and Targets
2025-2026 Objectives and Targets | |
|---|---|
Supplier Compliance and Auditing | Strengthen onboarding process |
Independently audit top 5-10 suppliers/factories | |
100% top 10 suppliers rated Amber or Green | |
Review policy compliance and conduct due diligence | |
Supplier engagement | Deliver Supplier engagement sessions |
Review and develop robust approach to worker engagement and dialogue projects including grievance mechanism mapping and implementation | |
Monitor and assess supply chain risk across supplier base, establishing risk mitigation plans | Review and strengthen risk assessment process |
Develop and implement risk escalation for suppliers | |
Scope non-stock screening process | |
Scope a just transition and heat stress policy | |
Increase understanding of Living Wages compliance in our supply chain | |
Supply chain mapping | Implement robust supply chain mapping process across key suppliers and materials |
Map and verify 100% of tier 1 suppliers | |
Identify and map tier 2 processes | |
Advance internal understanding of CSR | Conduct Modern Slavery and purchase practice training for relevant teams |
Implement regular reporting for key stakeholders on compliance and key activities |
This statement has been published in accordance with the Modern Slavery Act 2015. It sets out the steps taken by ME and EM Ltd to aid in the prevention of modern slavery and human trafficking in its business operations and supply chains during the 2024-25 reporting year. UK company registration: 05686460. The modern slavery statement has full sign off by the Executive Board.
Clare Hornby, CEO, on behalf of the board of directors.