To bring to life our commitment to good governance and compliance, we have set out below examples of how we apply our standards of good governance to our supplier relationships.
We have a zero-tolerance approach to slavery and human trafficking, and bribery and corruption within our workforce, and endeavour to set the same robust expectations in relation to our supply chain and associates.
"We are committed to ensuring that the behaviours and practices of our organisation, including those within our supply chains, reflect our own high ethical standards and compliance with applicable laws and standards."
Sustainable products
In line with the UN SDG 9 (Sustainable Innovation), our ambition is to continue to be a pioneer of innovation, and support in the development of the electronic vehicle market, through testing of battery technology and charging infrastructure. ABD Solutions’ core mission is to accelerate the transition to autonomy by providing retrofit solutions that reuse existing vehicles to automate vehicle applications, helping our customers achieve their sustainability targets.
We integrate sustainability into our product design by considering key factors such as energy and resource efficiency. Our suite of products (physical track testing) does not have a high carbon footprint, and our simulation business (which enables OEMs to replicate the set-up of a particular vehicle and drive it around various settings virtually) reduced emissions by taking cars off the road. By encouraging our customers to use autonomous testing we significantly reduce the CO2 emissions compared to on-road vehicle testing. Wherever possible, we minimise our raw material use and avoid the use of conflict materials in our manufacturing processes. We use minimal levels of hazardous substances in our production process but continue to examine how we can improve this. We are looking at our product life cycle management to consider how emissions can be reduced in line with the Group’s target to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030.
As a Group we have implemented several measures to encourage resource efficiency across our operations. These include meeting all energy needs in the UK from renewable sources, water conservation initiatives, raw material efficiency, waste minimisation initiatives, including a centralised waste and recycling facility, and resource recovery projects like our solar heating panels on two UK facilities. We have worked closely with our supply chain to review the sustainability risks associated with procurement and to implement initiatives to reduce lifecycle carbon, through programmes to reduce packaging and source locally where possible.
We lead through engineering innovation and technology. Our employees are encouraged to generate new ideas relating to new products, new processes, major improvements or technology breakthroughs. We remain passionate about technology and aim to lead new trends in our market through our Engineering Design Centre, responsible for innovative products like our Advanced Driving Simulator.
All our employees undergo rigorous training on product safety issues and to raise their awareness of their environmental protection responsibilities. This year we also introduced specific training workshops on quality control, precautionary testing and product safety which all relevant staff (approximately 29% of the workforce) attended, to ensure the highest environmental, quality and safety standards are maintained.
In order to achieve our sustainability goals, it is vital that we develop, educate and work closely with our supply chain to uphold the ethical, human rights and environmental criteria that are at the heart of our business. We recognise the need for a proactive and engaged supply chain strategy, that meets our own high standards and that of our stakeholders. Our communications and relationships with customers, suppliers and advisers are managed within each subsidiary by senior management, and the Group expects the same high standards of expertise and business principles to be maintained in such dealings. Our aim is to ensure that there is consistency across our international entities, to enable us to monitor compliance. We have chosen to operate under a centralised, head officecontrolled framework but devolve responsibility for compliance within this framework to operating divisional or jurisdictional management, with the aim of global harmonisation around local requirements and legislation.
Supplier due diligence
The Group encourages an environment where honest and open communication Our supply chain is geographically diversified. All suppliers need to remain compliant with the legal framework in their respective countries. Before new suppliers are selected they are subject to a due diligence assessment which involves on-site visits and checks to determine if they are ‘fit for purpose’. This includes an assessment of their financial strength, environmental credentials and quality assurance. All suppliers are required to have a quality management system in line with ISO 9001 and, in line with these requirements, are audited by an independent third party annually and re-accredited every three years. We select suppliers for audit based on our supply chain risk assessments. Throughout the course of the year, these audits assess each supplier’s approach to antibribery and corruption, human rights, data protection, modern slavery and health, safety and environmental issues amongst other matters. If any risks are identified, the Group works with suppliers to address them. Suppliers are then monitored in line with our non-conformance process, for environmental quality and safety issues, with any corrective actions recorded and monitored.
We intend to work with our suppliers to build mutually beneficial, long-term partnerships, to ensure measurable, long-term sustainability improvements throughout our supply chain. In FY 2024 we will continue to focus on and roll out our supply base using our Company supplier assurance and management schedule. This encompasses supplier audits to ensure our supply chain continues to meet our performance standards and simultaneously delivers on our social and environmental standards.
Prompt payment
We understand the importance of predictable payments when operating a business and encourage good practice across the Group. When entering into new agreements for the supply of goods and/or services, our subsidiaries are responsible for agreeing appropriate payment terms. Group companies are encouraged to abide by the payment terms they have agreed, so long as they are satisfied that the supplier has provided the goods or services in accordance with the agreed terms and conditions.
Ethics and compliance
We are committed to ensuring that the behaviours and practices of our organisation, including those within our supply chains, reflect our own high ethical standards and compliance with applicable laws and standards. We strive to conduct business honestly, openly and with integrity, as this approach will support our long-term success and sustainability.
We hold our leaders accountable for ensuring their businesses operate according to the strict ethical standards we expect. We have in place a series of Group policies forming a global subsidiary governance framework to guide our actions and those of our employees, suppliers and partners to ensure good governance and ethical behaviour across our Group. These policies include Human Rights, Anti-bribery, Modern Slavery, Conflicts of Interest, Competition and Anti-trust.
We are committed to respecting human rights in accordance with international human rights principles, and these are integral to our business operations. The Group aims to manage and mitigate the risks associated with potential human rights breaches and modern slavery and to ensure we have transparency across our subsidiaries, via the implementation of standardised policies and methodologies forming part of the Group’s global subsidiary governance framework. The ESG Committee maintains responsibility, oversight and compliance with the Group’s human rights principles with the overall objective of ensuring good governance, oversight and monitoring of our supply chain and wider supplier relationships. Local management teams remain Ethics and compliance accountable for: observing the operational approach set by the Group, with each manager receiving appropriate briefings on these requirements; and ensuring compliance with local regulatory requirements, culture and specific business needs.
Underpinning this approach are robust policies and procedures, together with appropriate training, which gives our workforce and other business partners guidance on breaches of human rights standards (such as human trafficking and child labour) and modern slavery and the measures we take to tackle such issues within our organisation and supply chain. All human rights abuses will be acted upon and appropriate action will be taken in a timely manner. We continue to believe that our exposure to the risks of human rights abuses and modern slavery is low within our business and supply chain, and we are confident that the policies and procedures that we have in relation to anti-slavery and human trafficking are in compliance with the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and our public statement, to this effect, is available on the Group’s website (www.abdplc.com). Further, our internal policies in relation to Human Rights and Modern Slavery are published in English on our website and are available locally for our workforce in four languages.
The Group encourages an environment where honest and open communication is expected, with employees feeling comfortable to bring forward any concerns or violations of Group policies. Whilst we believe we have a robust framework in place and an embedded commitment to doing the right thing, where these high standards have not been met, we encourage our workforce to come forward and speak up. This is embedded into our Whistleblowing Policy which provides legal protection for all whistleblowers and an online whistleblowing hotline, available 24/7 through an independent provider (EQS Group). Our employees are encouraged to raise any concerns anonymously via the hotline to an independent Non-Executive Director of the Group. Our Whistleblowing Policy aims to encourage openness and will support and safeguard staff who raise genuine concerns in good faith, with non-retaliation provisions under this policy, even if they turn out to be mistaken. All reports made through this tool shall be investigated in line with the Group’s policy. Such investigations are supervised by the independent Non- Executive Directors. Six whistleblowing reports were received and investigated during FY 2023 and resolved without the need for further action. The majority of cases were dismissed or treated as a local management matter and the reporting process enhanced to ensure appropriateness of use going forward.
We prohibit bribery and all forms of fraud and will take legal or disciplinary action in all cases of actual or attempted fraud across all operations. We have a Group-wide policy on anti-bribery and corruption which has been circulated to every member of staff globally through the Company’s HR portals and QMS systems. Employees receive online training on anti-bribery and corruption to improve their understanding of the Group’s requirements and embed compliance. The policy and training modules are available in the four key languages spoken across the Group
We aim to create an environment where the contributions of all staff are recognised and valued, and everyone is treated with dignity and respect. We do not tolerate any form of bullying or harassment within the Group. We apply the same standards when we select business partners. The ESG Committee is responsible for setting the Group’s approach to diversity and inclusion.
For more detail of the Group’s initiatives in relation to diversity, see People potential on pages 36 to 41 of Annual Report 2023. The Group-wide policy is located on the Group’s website.
The Group is committed to compliance with all applicable tax laws and regulations in all areas it operates in or is required to make filings in. All required tax filings are made accurately and on time with the relevant authorities. We are committed to a transparent and open approach to reporting on tax and do not engage in aggressive tax planning or tax avoidance schemes.