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Safeguarding integrity Calor Gas, Ireland 10/14/2020

Calor Ireland publish Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement

Calor Ireland has recently conducted a review of all operational areas of the business as part of its’ sustainability strategy. While Calor Ireland does not meet the legal requirement in publishing a Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement on its website, it has identified that publishing one would be advisable declaration from the business that it takes this international crime seriously.

Modern slavery remains a threat to millions of lives and business worldwide

The impact of slavery cannot be underestimated and tragically affects people in many countries transcending age, gender and ethnicity and often invisible or hard to trace, as the antislavery.org website explains:

Modern slavery is the severe exploitation of other people for personal or commercial gain. Modern slavery is all around us, but often just out of sight. Every human being has the right to a life free from slavery.

From the outside, it can look like a normal job. But people are being controlled and they can face violence or threats, be forced into inescapable debt, or have had their passport taken away and are being threatened with deportation.

The scale is staggering with an estimated 40 million people across the world are trapped. One in four are children and over 70% are women and girls.

A Statement of policies, processes and intent for Calor Ireland

Calor Ireland has published a Statement endorsed by its CEO Duncan Osborne; setting out the measures that they are taking to ensure with best endeavors that slavery or human trafficking is not taking place both within the organization and within the supply chains that they are associated with. This Statement will be reviewed annually.

Calor Ireland has been active to support and drive the initiatives outlined as part of their wide-reaching sustainability strategy. They have engaged with an external partner, Business in the Community Ireland (BITC), to progress this across the operational areas of marketplace, workplace, community, environment and governance, with the goal of achieving external accreditation from the National Standards Authority of Ireland later this year, 2020.

A strategic approach as part of a worldwide group of companies

As an SHV Energy business unit, Calor Ireland like each of the other companies in the Group, can have an influential and direct effect on supply chains to improve or guide conditions in the workplace. There are Group strategies that apply to every SHV Energy company including the recently launched Supplier Code of Conduct. It defines the behaviours expected from suppliers, focusing on Safety, Integrity and Care for People and the Environment. Suppliers must be able to demonstrate that they provide safe working conditions, treat workers with dignity and respect, acting ethically and within the law to be able to trade with any SHV Energy business. Providing safe working conditions, treating workers with dignity and respect, and acting ethically and within the law are conditional if you want to do business with our company.

A review leading to action

The review of the key operational areas in Calor Ireland identified some areas that needed attention and with the support of Calor Ireland’s Legal and Procurement departments; initiatives were added to the Modern Slavery Statement.

The Modern Slavery Statement on Calor Ireland’s website, is soon to be included as part of their training programme that launches the new SHV Energy Supplier Code of Conduct and other associated procurement, compliance and ethics initiatives.

There will also be a reminder for all Calor Ireland colleagues that they can use the Speak Up platform to raise or report any concerns that may give rise to an enhanced risk of slavery or human trafficking. It is a positive step in the right direction to assist with the challenge of this worldwide problem.

The picture with this story is Calor Ireland's s first LNG customers and contractors that completed the LNG installation and who were put through Calor Ireland's third party due diligence compliance checks.