Modern Slavery Statement for Garden Services

We recognise the responsibility of our garden services business to prevent modern slavery and human trafficking across our operations and supply chain. This statement sets out our approach to identifying risks, enforcing standards and ensuring remediation for affected individuals in gardening services, landscaping and horticultural services.

Our Commitment and Zero-Tolerance Policy

Garden Services operates a zero-tolerance policy regarding all forms of modern slavery, including forced labour, human trafficking, debt bondage and exploitative child labour. Our commitment extends to all employees, contractors and suppliers providing garden maintenance services, groundskeeping and ancillary support. We require that anyone working with or for our gardening company is treated with dignity and receives fair pay and lawful working conditions.

Risk Assessment and Preventive Measures

We conduct ongoing risk assessments across our landscaping services and supplier networks to identify potential exposure to exploitation. Key preventive measures include:

• Due diligence for new suppliers of plants, compost and seasonal labour;
• Contractual clauses prohibiting modern slavery across all garden maintenance services agreements;
• Verification of identity, right to work and payroll audits for workers engaged through recruitment agencies;
• Enhanced scrutiny for high-risk geographies and short-term seasonal projects.

These steps support our goal to reduce vulnerabilities in supply chains and onsite operations.

We deliver regular training to staff and management in every part of our horticultural services, from nursery teams to landscape architects and site supervisors. Training covers recognition of exploitation indicators, safe recruitment practices, ethical sourcing for materials and the procedures for raising concerns. Training is refreshed annually and tailored for roles at higher risk of contact with vulnerable workers, such as seasonal planting teams and external contractors.

Supplier audits form a central part of our compliance programme. Our supplier audit programme is risk-based and includes self-assessment questionnaires, documentary checks and on-site inspections where warranted. Audits examine working hours, wage records, recruitment fees, accommodation and sub-contracting practices. When non-compliance is identified we implement corrective action plans with defined milestones; repeat failures trigger contract review and potential termination. We also encourage continuous improvement and collaborate with suppliers to strengthen labour standards across the gardening and landscaping supply chain.

Reporting channels are confidential and accessible to all workers engaged by our garden maintenance services and partner organisations. Multiple secure pathways exist to report concerns: anonymous reporting mechanisms, internal HR escalation and a designated compliance review process. All reports are investigated promptly and discreetly. Victim support measures include immediate safeguards, referrals to specialist services and cooperation with the relevant authorities. We prohibit retaliation and maintain whistleblower protections to ensure that staff and subcontractors can raise issues without fear.

Governance, Monitoring and Continuous Improvement

Our board and senior management maintain oversight of modern slavery risks in our gardening services operations. We track key performance indicators including audit completion rates, training coverage, incident response times and remediation outcomes. Policy updates, procurement controls and supplier performance are reviewed regularly to adapt to emerging risks in groundskeeping, horticultural services and landscape contracting sectors.

Annual Review and Public Accountability

We undertake an annual review of this Modern Slavery Statement and our related policies to assess effectiveness and set targets for the coming year. The review evaluates audit findings, training efficacy, any reported incidents and remediation actions. Changes to procurement practices, supplier onboarding and worker protections are documented and implemented as part of this cycle. Our aim is continual improvement: reducing risk, increasing transparency and ensuring that all people contributing to our gardening and landscape services are treated ethically and lawfully.

This Statement applies to all entities operating under the Garden Services name and to the supply chains that support our landscaping and gardening operations. We remain resolute in our zero-tolerance approach and committed to measurable actions that eradicate modern slavery from our business and supplier networks.