Wood International Agency Ltd Modern Slavery Act 2015 slavery and human trafficking statement
INTRODUCTION FROM THE MANAGING DIRECTOR ALAN LAMONT
That slavery, child labour and human trafficking still exist in the modern world is shameful. As a company which sources forest products from some of the most vulnerable countries across the globe, Wood International Agency Ltd takes its position very seriously. The purchasing power we have allows us the opportunity to influence and guide. The need for transparency in our supply chains is paramount, and we continue to do all in our power to demonstrate that our suppliers protect their workers and work within legal frameworks.
ORGANISATION'S STRUCTURE
We are an independent UK based agency specialising in panel products which are sourced from across the globe and sold into UK, European and International markets. We are a small business located solely in Brentwood, Essex with 8 employees and 6 directors.
OUR BUSINESS
Wood International Agency Ltd was established in 1977 by Michael Lamont. The company remains family run and holds a prominent position in the panel products industry in the UK and abroad. For more information on Wood International please visit www.woodia.co.uk
OUR SUPPLY CHAINS
Wood International Agency Ltd (WIA) sources product from several countries across the globe, including but not exclusively Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Estonia, Finland Indonesia, Malaysia, Paraguay, South Africa.
Supply chains are generally short and uncomplicated, with logs travelling from the forest to the plywood mill which supplies directly to WIA. In order to meet the strict terms of the United Kingdom Timber Regulation, all supply chain evidence is collected and verified by Track Record Global. All suppliers go through a strict due diligence assessment to mitigate all risk, and a high volume of the product sourced by WIA has FSC or PEFC certification.
OUR POLICIES ON SLAVERY, CHILD LABOUR AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING
We are committed to ensuring that there is no modern slavery, child labour or human trafficking in our supply chains or in any part of our business. Our Ethical Trading Policy reflects our commitment to acting ethically and with integrity in all our business relationships and to implementing and enforcing effective systems and controls to ensure slavery and human trafficking is not taking place anywhere in our supply chains.
DUE DILIGENCE PROCESSES FOR SLAVERY, CHILD LABOUR AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING
As part of our initiative to identify and mitigate risk we conduct annual due diligence assessments on all our suppliers. This process can help us to identify and assess potential risk areas in our supply chains, to mitigate the risk of slavery, child labour and human trafficking occurring in our supply chains and also to protect whistle blowers.
SUPPLIER ADHERENCE TO OUR VALUES
We have zero tolerance to slavery, child labour and human trafficking. To ensure all those in our supply chain and contractors comply with our values, we have in place a rigorous supply chain compliance programme. Suppliers are required to complete a self-assessment questionnaire regarding ethical trade and human rights. Additionally site visits to mills and forests are made routinely and at these meetings documented evidence will be collected to support compliance with our policies on slavery and human trafficking.
Many of the products we source are FSC or PEFC certified, and WIA are audited annually to demonstrate compliance with standards.
TRAINING
To ensure a high level of understanding of the risks of modern slavery and human trafficking in our supply chains and our business, we provide training to our staff where necessary.
OUR EFFECTIVENESS IN COMBATING SLAVERY AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING
We use the following key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure how effective we have been to ensure that slavery and human trafficking is not taking place in any part of our business or supply chains:
- Maintaining FSC & PEFC chain of custody certification
- Constant monitoring of certification status of suppliers
- On-going due diligence of supply chain
- Annual supplier questionnaire
- Mill and forest inspection reports
FURTHER STEPS
Following a review of the effectiveness of the steps we will take during the 2026/27 financial year, we will make recommendations for further steps to combat slavery, child labour and human trafficking in our supply chains should this be deemed necessary.
This statement is made pursuant to section 54(1) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and constitutes our slavery and human trafficking statement for the financial year ending [31 APRIL 2026].