2018 UK Modern Slavery Act Transparency Statement

Financial year 2017

This statement outlines the steps that Guardian is taking under Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 (“Act”) to reasonably ensure that modern slavery is not occurring within our business and supply chains.
The Act defines modern slavery as slavery; servitude and forced or compulsory labor; and human trafficking.

Guardian is committed to conducting all business affairs lawfully and with integrity. One of our key principles is not only to strive for compliance with all laws and regulations, but also to treat people with honesty, dignity and respect. We hire people who share our values and beliefs and who are fully committed to this principle. Guardian’s compliance and ethics expectations are set out in our Code of Conduct, and apply to all officers, directors, and employees.

We rely on our suppliers sharing our values and complying with all laws at all times. We expect our business partners to treat people with dignity and respect and not to engage in practices associated with forced labor, even if not illegal in their locations. To ensure that modern slavery is not occurring within our supply chains, we make reasonable efforts to know our suppliers and their work practices, including their reputations for legal compliance and respect for human rights. We will act to discontinue relationships with those suppliers and other third parties who fail to meet our high standards for lawful and ethical conduct.

To help ensure that modern slavery is not taking place in our supply chains Guardian considered appropriate to gradually introduce a process of requesting a supplier certification whereby suppliers to Guardian would certify that they do not use any forced labor in the course of manufacturing products or providing services to Guardian and Guardian would be entitled to terminate business relations if such certification is not respected.

In addition to these steps, Guardian offers a Compliance & Ethics Helpline which provides employees, customers, suppliers and members of the general public with a mechanism, including on an anonymous basis (where allowed by law), to report concerns about potential breaches of Guardian's Code of Conduct, a Guardian policy, or the law.

This statement was approved by the Board of Directors of Guardian Industries UK Ltd, Guardian Glass UK Ltd, Guardian Europe S.à r.l. on July, 2nd 2018.