- Corporate Responsibility
Objectives
The principles covered in this policy cover all areas of Goodwin PLC’s operations and have been developed and continue to be reviewed against and updated by reference to relevant codes of corporate governance and international standards including the United Nations (UN) Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, the Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises established by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development and the UN Convention against Corruption and the UK Modern Slavery Act 2015.
The Board of Directors supports the principles set out in those codes and standards and the aim of this policy is to translate that support into a set of guidelines and standards that set a common approach for Goodwin PLC and provide practical guidance for our managers, employees and contractors. We wish to be transparent, fair and reasonable.
Governance
Code of Ethics
This code applies to all of the operations of Goodwin PLC and its subsidiaries (“the Group”) and sets out the minimum standards which the Board of Goodwin PLC expects from staff in their internal and external dealings with colleagues, customers, stakeholders and third parties.
We always conduct our own services honestly and honourably, and expect our clients and suppliers to do the same. Our advice, strategic assistance and the methods imparted through our training, take proper account of ethical considerations, together with the protection and enhancement of the moral position of our clients and suppliers.
Basic standards of conduct:
- We will endeavour to conduct every aspect of our business with honesty, integrity and openness, respecting human rights and the interests of our employees, customers and third parties;
- We will respect the legitimate interests of third parties with whom we have dealings in the course of our business;
- We will maintain the highest standards of integrity – for example, we will not promise more than we can reasonably deliver or make commitments we cannot or do not intend to keep.
Employees:
- We are committed to creating and maintaining a safe and healthy working environment for our employees;
- We will strive to create a workplace in which there is mutual trust and respect and where every person feels responsible for the performance and reputation of our Group;
- We will work towards achieving a diverse workplace, recruiting, employing and promoting employees only on the basis of objective criteria and the qualifications and abilities needed for the job to be performed;
- We will maintain good communications with employees through our information and consultation procedures;
- We will assist employees in realizing their potential.
Customers:
- We are committed to providing safe, value for money, high quality, consistent, accessible and reliable products and services to our customers
Shareholders:
- We will conduct our operations in accordance with the principles of good corporate governance;
- We will provide timely, regular and reliable information on the business to all our shareholders
Stakeholders
- We aim to develop strong relationships with our suppliers, stakeholders and others with whom we have dealings, based on mutual trust, understanding and respect;
- In those dealings, we expect our partners to adhere to business principles consistent with our own;
- We will conduct our business operations in accordance with the principles of fair competition and applicable regulations.
Compliance with Law:
- All Group staff will make best endeavours to comply with the laws and regulations applicable wherever they do business. Appropriate training will be provided for employees as perceived necessary.
Business Integrity:
- We will not offer, give, seek or receive, either directly or indirectly, inducements or other improper advantages for business or financial gain and no employee may offer, give, seek or receive any gift or payment which is, or could be construed as, such. If an employee is in any doubt as to whether he or she may accept an offer, that employee should discuss the issue with his or her manager and refer to our Bribery and Corruption Policy;
- Our accounting and other records and supporting documents must accurately describe and reflect the nature of the underlying transactions;
- We will not facilitate, support, tolerate or condone any form of money laundering.
Environment:
- We are committed to making continuous improvement in the management of its environmental impact;
- We will work with our partners to promote environmental care, increase understanding of environmental issues and disseminate good practice.
Community:
- The Group strives to be a good corporate citizen and to fulfil its responsibilities to the societies and communities in which it operates.
Conflicts of Interest and Confidentiality:
- Whilst we respect the privacy of our employees, all Group employees are expected to avoid personal activities and financial interests, which could conflict with their responsibilities to Goodwin PLC;
- Group employees and consultants must not seek gain for themselves or others through misuse of their positions or our property;
- All actual and potential conflicts (including those arising from the activities or interests of close relatives or partners) should be disclosed to and discussed with an employee’s line manager;
- Information received by anyone in the course of his or her employment must not be used for personal gain or for any purpose other than that for which it was given;
- Where information is confidential, that confidentiality must be respected.
Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement for Goodwin PLC and Goodwin International Limited
This statement is issued by Goodwin PLC and Goodwin International Limited
We are committed to preventing acts of modern slavery and human trafficking from occurring within our business and we expect the same high standards from our employees and everyone that we do business with, including our suppliers. Modern slavery is a crime and an abuse of human rights. This statement is made pursuant to the UK Modern Slavery Act 2015 (the Act). The Act makes serious violations of human rights an offence including slavery, servitude and forced or compulsory labour and human trafficking.
We are actively committed to eradicating all forms of modern slavery and human trafficking from our business operations and supply chains. As part of our commitment, the Chairman of Goodwin PLC stated that:
“We do not tolerate any modern slavery abuses in our business or supply chains and we are committed to improving our practices to combat any slavery and human trafficking abuse or exploitation”
Business, Structure and Supply Chains
We focus on manufacturing within mechanical engineering and refractory engineering sectors.
- The mechanical engineering sector serves the nuclear, oil, petrochemical, gas, LNG and water markets as well as defence contractors, civil aviation authorities and border security agencies.
- The refractory sector serves the jewellery casting, aerospace, fire protection, tyre moulding and shell moulding casting industries.
Our head office is located in Staffordshire in the United Kingdom with subsidiary companies operating from Australia, Brazil, China, Finland, Germany, Ghana, India, South Africa, South Korea, Thailand and the UK. We have a workforce of more than 1,000 employees. To find out more about the nature of our business, please click www.goodwin.co.uk.
We operate from a wide range of countries and industries and we focus our efforts where we believe there is the highest risk of a violation of the Act. Given our operations across many countries, we recognise the varying levels of risk across different jurisdictions and have tailored our approach accordingly. We have built up a network of trusted suppliers, consisting primarily of manufacturing entities as well as service providers. Within the mechanical business, both Goodwin International Limited and Noreva GmbH purchase the majority of their castings from Goodwin Steel Castings Limited. Within the refractory business, six of our casting powder factories for the jewellery industry buy manufactured cristobalite from another of our UK refractory companies, Hoben International Limited.
Policies
We regularly review and improving our policies including in line with the United Nations Global Compact’s ten universal principles. As part of our commitment to combating modern slavery, we have implemented a comprehensive suite of policies to ensure ethical conduct, including:
- Conflict Minerals: As part of our commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility we make every effort to ensure that none of the materials we source are associated with the Democratic Republic of Congo
- Ethical trading policy
- Equal Opportunities
- Privacy Policy
- Whistle Blowing
- Sanction Policy (which includes a Know Your Customer (KYC) and anti-money laundering polices)
- Supplier Code of Conduct
As required by the Act, this Statement sets out the steps that have been taken during the recent financial year to safeguard against slavery in its various forms and human trafficking is not taking place in our businesses or our supply chains.
Throughout the year, adherence to our policy is mandated through our general contractual conditions of purchase and our Supplier Code of Conduct.
Transparency is encouraged through whistle blowing awareness and the maintenance of personal visits by management where possible. The extensive restrictions from the coronavirus pandemic have been relaxed in many jurisdictions and as a result, senior executives including the Chairman and Divisional Managing Directors have visited the majority of the Groups operations that are based overseas. No potential modern slavery concerns, or signs of such issues, were identified at any of our locations. However, we are mindful that we need to safeguard against complacency and remain diligent in this regard.
We continuously monitor the effectiveness of our modern slavery prevention efforts through key metrics such as supplier audit results, number of modern slavery-related complaints and corrective actions taken. The effectiveness of these steps continue to be monitored.
Due Diligence
As a part of our efforts to monitor and reduce the risk of slavery and human trafficking occurring within our supply chains, we have implemented the following due diligence procedures:
- Reviewed supplier pre-qualification questionnaires, to avoid modern slavery before engaging with new suppliers
- That major suppliers agree to anti-modern slavery provisions in writing
- The introduction of Supplier Codes of Conduct (with supplier declarations) for some subsidiaries where supplier’s expressly warrant compliance as part of our standard conditions of purchase and in some cases a specific supplier declaration is provided for critical suppliers
- Suppliers and subsidiaries to have anti modern slavery provisions in their supply chain contracts cascading responsibility down the supply chain. The consequences for suppliers failing to comply with our anti-slavery standards include contract termination
- In high risk countries to obtain evidence through visits or written assurance that evidence is available that they operate ethically (and in line with an Ethical Purchasing Code)
Monitoring
We take steps to assess, prevent, manage and mitigate the risks within our business and supply chains in high risk countries as identified on the Global Slavery Index (https://www.globalslaveryindex.org).
We also have also introduced a dedicated compliance team which includes involvement from the Chairman, General Counsel and Company Secretary.
Training
All directors and senior managers received training at our annual Business Conference. This has historically been very effective at raising the awareness and helps ensure that the delegates understand the importance of the issue of modern slavery and human trafficking. During the year, we have carried out enhanced sanctions, KYC and anti-money laundering training and updated internal policies to reflect the associated risks. This training has been provided by the Group’s General Counsel and a leading international law firm.
This awareness is enhanced through both on the job training and process improvements with the purchasing teams and the on-line training courses that were set-up in previous years.
Further actions and sign-off
Following the review of our process this financial year to prevent slavery or human trafficking from occurring in our business or supply chains, we intend to take the following further steps to tackle slavery and human trafficking:
- develop a comprehensive Group wide code of conduct that is intended to act as a global policy framework, setting out the behaviors, practices and standards we expect not only of our employees to adhere to but our stakeholders; and
- further process improvements at subsidiary level to prevent slavery and human trafficking from occurring in our supply chain.
This statement is made on behalf of Goodwin PLC and its subsidiary companies, including Goodwin International Limited, in accordance with the obligation to make a modern slavery statement (Statement) under s54(1) of the Act.
This statement will be reviewed and updated annually to reflect the evolving nature of modern slavery risks and the effectiveness of our ongoing efforts.
This Statement was approved by the Board on 22nd November 2024 and is signed on its behalf by:
Matthew Goodwin
Divisional Managing Director
Bribery and Corruption Policy
The Group has outlined employee responsibilities in observing and upholding its position on bribery and corruption
We provide information and guidance to those working for the Group on how to recognize and deal with bribery and corruption issues.
We conform with the laws of the England and Wales, including the Bribery Act 2010.
It is the Group’s policy to conduct all business in an honest and ethical manner. A zero-tolerance approach to bribery and corruption will be taken and all laws relevant to countering bribery and corruption will be upheld.
This policy applies to all individuals working at all levels within the Group who interface with external sources, including all employees and Directors, consultants, contractors, trainees, apprentices, interns, seconded staff, casual workers, agency staff, volunteers, agents, sponsors or any other person associated with the Group wherever located (collectively referred to as Workers in this policy).
The Directors have overall responsibility for ensuring this policy complies with the legal and ethical obligations of the Group, and that all those under its control comply with it.
The Chairman has primary and day-to-day responsibility for implementing this policy and for monitoring its use and effectiveness and dealing with any queries on its interpretation.
Management at all levels are responsible for ensuring those reporting to them are made aware of and understand this policy and are given adequate and regular training on it.
All employees are responsible for:
- professional conduct, being fair, honest and acting with integrity in all business dealings and relationships;
- adherence to this policy and should ensure they use it to disclose any suspected danger or wrongdoing.
Privacy Policy
We wish to be transparent, fair and reasonable in processing and storing personal data.
Adopting the EU General Data Protection Regulations, the Group expresses a privacy notice on all its websites. To promote transparency and fairness we have carried out data impact analysis on our processes known to handle personal data. We will continue to consult and include individuals responsible for handling data with the intention of training them to comply with the Regulation. We aim to inform people how their data is used, gain consent and give choice in their personal data handling.
Personal data is encrypted and for contractual, insurance and legal requirements may be retained for periods proportionate to those needs and, where requests for data removal are refused, explanation will be given. The Data Protection Officer is the Chairman contactable through the Company Secretary cosec@goodwingroup.com to whom any complaint should be made in the first instance and in the absence of resolution contact should be addressed to the independent Non-Executive Director.
Donations
The Group does not at present make contributions to political parties., The Group only makes charitable donations that are legal and ethical under local laws and practices.
Environmental Policy
Climate Change
Climate change is recognized as an international issue with national governments on both sides of the Atlantic committed to taking action to reduce greenhouse emissions.
The Group is acutely aware of its greenhouse gas emissions, for which we understand that there is a need for Group companies to contribute to targeted global reductions. We are committed to reducing the greenhouse gas emissions from our operations in a way which supports national government strategies and in line with our commitment to our customers to provide safe, efficient and reliable products and services.
Our key climate change commitments are:
- To assess the potential impact to our business from evolving climate change policies as part of our on-going risk management processes;
- To work actively with our suppliers to improve the fuel efficiency of our vehicles;
- To report annually on our greenhouse gas emissions from all vehicles and property in our ownership;
- To actively promote improved energy efficiency and fuel efficiency within our business;
- To support research into transport policy and the use of alternative fuels;
- To stay abreast of alternative fuel developments and continue to assess their commercial viability.
Reporting Concerns
Employees are encouraged to raise concerns about any issue or suspicion of malpractice at the earliest possible stage. If it is uncertain whether a particular act constitutes bribery or corruption, or if there are any other queries, these should be raised with an appropriate director. Concerns may be reported by following the procedure set out in the Whistle Blowing Policy.
We aim to encourage openness and will support anyone who raises genuine concerns in good faith under this policy, even if they turn out to be mistaken.
Training and Communication
Training on the policy will be given to all those that have interface with external sources. This should be identified at the induction stage for all new employees, though existing workers will also receive training as appropriate.
A zero-tolerance approach to bribery and corruption must be communicated to all suppliers, contractors and business partners at the outset of our business relationship with them and as appropriate thereafter.
Monitoring and Review
Directors will monitor the effectiveness and review the implementation of the policy during the annual management review considering its suitability, adequacy and effectiveness.
Any improvements identified will be made as soon as possible and this policy amended as required.
Internal control systems and procedures will be subject to audit to provide assurance that they are effective in countering bribery and corruption.
Workers are invited to comment on this policy and suggest ways in which it might be improved. Comments, suggestions and queries should be addressed to the Chairman.
Anyone who has a reasonable belief that there is serious malpractice relating to any of the matters specified above, may raise a concern under the procedure detailed in the paragraph below.
The issues raised may relate to another employee, a group of employees, the individual’s own Board of Directors or other parties such as subcontractors
Concerns must be raised without malice and in good faith, and an individual must reasonably believe that the information disclosed, and any allegations contained in it, are substantially true.
In view of the protection afforded to an employee raising a bona fide concern, it is preferable if that individual puts his/her name to any disclosure. The identity of the person raising the matter will be kept confidential, if so requested, for as long as possible provided that this is compatible with a proper investigation.
Anonymous complaints are more difficult to authenticate but may be reported by dialing a telephone answering machine and leaving a message. This will be listened to by the Chairman or Company Secretary and investigated or acted upon as the person receiving the complaint sees fit (including the use of this procedure), having regard to the seriousness of the issue raised, the credibility of the complaint, the prospects of being able to investigate the matter, and fairness to any individual mentioned in the complaint.
Procedure
Any disclosure should be made in the first instance in confidence to:
- Timothy Goodwin (Tel: +44 (0)1782 220271; Email: tgoodwin@goodwingroup.com); or
- Jenny Martin (Tel: +44 (0)1782 220332; Email: jmartin@goodwingroup.com); or
- an answer phone anonymously (Tel: +44 (0)1782 267529), but these messages obviously cannot be acknowledged and authentication may make a response difficult.
If no response is received following a disclosure from a named individual or the individual is dissatisfied with the response then the individual may raise the concern with the Chair of the Audit Committee Mrs. Jennifer Kelly.
