Last updated on: April 2023

Evergen 

Modern Slavery Policy Statement

Modern slavery is a crime and a violation of fundamental human rights. It takes many forms, including slavery, servitude, forced and compulsory labour, and human trafficking, all of which involve the deprivation of a person’s liberty by another in order to exploit them for personal or commercial gain.

Evergen takes a zero-tolerance approach to modern slavery, and we are committed to acting ethically and with integrity in all of our business dealings and relationships, as well as implementing and enforcing effective systems and controls to ensure modern slavery does not exist anywhere in our own business or in any of our supply chains.

We are also committed to ensuring transparency in our own operations and in our approach to combating modern slavery throughout our supply chains, in accordance with any disclosure obligations under the Modern Slavery Act 2018 (Cth), where applicable to Evergen.

We expect the same high standards from all of our contractors, suppliers, and other business partners. We will continue to include specific prohibitions against the use of forced, compulsory, or trafficked labour, as well as anyone held in slavery or servitude, whether adults or children, in our contracting processes, and we expect our suppliers to hold their own suppliers to the same high standards.

Scope of Policy

This policy applies to all individuals who work for us or on our behalf in any capacity, including employees at all levels, directors, officers, agency workers, seconded workers, volunteers, interns, agents, contractors, external consultants, third-party representatives, and business partners (referred to as “You” in this policy).

This policy is not part of any employee’s employment contract, and we reserve the right to change it at any time.

Policy Responsibilities

Evergen is ultimately responsible for ensuring that this policy conforms with our legal and ethical commitments, as well as that all people under our control abide by it.

Evergen is in charge of implementing this policy on a daily basis, monitoring its usage and effectiveness, dealing with any questions about it, and reviewing internal control systems and processes to ensure they are successful in combating modern slavery.

Evergen will seek to implement the policy across all business activity, and in particular:

(a) Procurement of goods and services;
(b) Contract management;
(c) Employee awareness and training

Management at all levels is responsible for ensuring that people reporting to them understand and comply with this policy, as well as that they get proper and ongoing training on it and the subject of modern slavery in supply chains.

We welcome your comments on this policy and suggestions regarding ways to improve it. Any comments, suggestions or queries are encouraged and should be addressed to [email protected].

Policy Compliance

It is the expectation that our employees, contractors, suppliers and anyone included in the “Scope of Policy” section to have read, understood, and enforce this policy. The prevention, identification, and reporting of modern slavery in any element of our company or supply chains is the duty of everyone who works for us or is under our authority.

It is an expectation that where this policy applies to you, you will ensure that:

-there will be no activity or action that may lead to an implicit or direct violation of this policy;
-any concerns are expressed where there are issues or suspicions of modern slavery in our business, or any supply chains of any supplier tier as soon as possible;
-for Evergen employees, alert your line manager or company director as soon as possible if you feel or suspect that there is a violation of this policy.

Where appropriate, and with the welfare and safety of local workers as a priority, we will give support, guidance, and education to our suppliers to help them address coercive, abusive and exploitative work practices in their own business and supply chains.

If there are any doubts about whether a specific act, the treatment of employees in general, or their working circumstances inside any tier of our supply chains represents any of the numerous types of modern slavery, please contact your line manager or report to the General Counsel.

We want to promote transparency and will assist anybody who expresses serious concerns in good faith under this policy, even if those worries turn out to be incorrect. We are dedicated to ensuring that no one experiences any adverse treatment as a result of reporting in good faith their concern that modern slavery in any form is or may be occurring in any section of our own business or in any of our supplier networks.

Dismissal, disciplinary action, threats, or other unfavourable treatment as a result of voicing a concern is considered detrimental treatment.

If you suspect you have been subjected to such treatment, you should immediately notify your line manager. If the problem is not resolved, and you are an employee, you should file a formal complaint.

Communication & Awareness

Training on this policy, as well as the threat our company faces from modern slavery in its supply chains, is part of the induction process for all new employees, and updates will be offered through established channels of communication between Evergen and you.

Our zero-tolerance stance to modern slavery must be conveyed to all suppliers, contractors, and business partners from the beginning of our commercial engagement with them and reinforced as needed subsequently.

Policy Breaches

Any employee who violates this policy may face disciplinary action, which might result in dismissal for misconduct. If other persons or organisations working on our behalf violate this policy, we reserve the right to terminate our relationship with them with immediate effect.