Modern Slavery Statement
Across the Group, Starmonte is committed to contributing to the elimination of modern slavery, which is a growing and complex problem, best tackled by collective action.
Group Statement
Starmonte divisions engage with non-government organisations on a range of projects including formal collaborations and certification schemes. We hosted (and participated in) stakeholder engagement sessions supporting the review of the MSA and hosted the release of the remediation guidance by Walk Free. Our ethical sourcing programs are enhanced by partnering with organisations like the International Labour Organisation and International Finance Corporation Better Work Program. Likewise, third-party organisations such as Baptist World Aid assess and rate the Group’s performance, helping to drive our program and reduce modern slavery risks.
Ethical Sourcing
Under the MSA, modern slavery is defined to include servitude, human trafficking, debt bondage, forced marriage, forced labour, deceptive recruiting for labour or services, and the worst forms of child labour. It includes situations of serious exploitation where offenders use coercion, threats or deception to exploit victims and undermine their freedom. This Modern Slavery Statement summarises steps taken by the Starmonte to identify, prevent, mitigate and manage the risk of modern slavery in our operations and supply chains
Human Rights Commitment
Starmonte has long recognised that managing our businesses with an awareness of and respect for human rights will support performance against our purpose, over the long-term. To deliver satisfactory returns to shareholders, we need to understand and manage the ways we affect people, communities and the environment across our value chain. Doing so helps to ensure that we can continue to create value in the future. While we can achieve much in the short term, respect for human rights requires long-term focus and commitment, as is the case with many other environmental and social opportunities and challenges facing Starmonte. Starmonte is committed to observing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the International Labour Organisation’s Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work. We are also committed to implementing the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) and the ten principles of the United Nations Global Compact. Together, these principles help us identify and respond to potential human rights and modern slavery risks.
Structure, Operations and supply chains
Our model of divisional autonomy means that each division has its own management team and is accountable for strategy development and implementation, as well as day to day operational performance including its ethical sourcing programs. All divisions have dedicated ethical sourcing teams to manage ethical sourcing and human rights risks. Merchandise and procurement teams are responsible for managing supplier relationships and are central to the management of ethical sourcing and human rights risks.
Starmonte has long supported the local communities where we operate, as this supports our long-term success. With successful businesses, we have the opportunity to deliver diverse economic and social benefits to our team members, customers, suppliers and communities, including through employment, training, community investment and in areas such as Indigenous employment and supplier diversity
Salient human rights assessment
In 2021, Starmonte engaged a third-party human rights consultant to support a salient human rights issues assessment for the Group.
This assessment engaged cross-functional working teams to consider overarching human rights (including modern slavery) risks for our businesses. Human rights risks were mapped across our operations, supply chains and business relationships, with each risk assessed for scale, scope, irremediability and likelihood of potential or actual human rights impact. Starmonte continue to utilise the findings from this assessment to prioritise actions to mitigate human rights risk. This risk assessment enabled the Group to prioritise six salient human rights issues:
− Supporting labour rights in our value chain
− Respecting Indigenous peoples’ rights
− Maintaining fair and safe workplaces for our workers
− Preventing adverse impacts on communities
− Upholding the privacy and personal dignity of our customers, team members and other stakeholders and
− Ensuring product safety for our customers.