D.F Richards(Veneers) Ltd is wood veneer merchant and layon manufacturer based in Basildon,Essex. 

We operate a number of internal policies and practises to ensure that we are conducting business in an ethical and transparent manner. These include: Recruitment Policy, Equal Opportunities, Safeguarding Policies, Whistleblowing Policy, Standards of Business Conduct.

Our organisational stance on modern slavery is that this encompasses slavery, servitude, human trafficking and forced labour. D.F Richards (Veneers) Ltd has a zero tolerance approach to any form of modern slavery. We are committed to acting ethically, and with integrity and transparency in all business dealings, and to putting effective systems and controls in place to safeguard against any form of modern slavery taking place.

We operate a robust recruitment policy, including conducting eligibility to work in the UK checks for all employees, to safeguard against human trafficking, or individuals being forced to work against their will.

We operate a whistleblowing policy so that all employees have confidence that they can raise concerns about how colleagues are being treated, or practices within our business or supply chain, without fear of reprisal.

D.F Richards (Veneers) Ltd operates a strict supplier policy and maintains a preferred supplier list. We conduct due diligence on all suppliers before allowing them to become a preferred supplier. This due diligence includes an online search to ensure that any particular organisation has never been convicted of offenses relating to modern slavery. Where practical site visits are also conducted.

We conduct training for our procurement/buying teams to ensure that they understand the signs of modern slavery, and what to do if they suspect that it is taking place within our supply chain.