Modern Slavery Statement 2024

LoveCrafts is a leading international platform for the crafts market. We began in 2012, with a simple mission to help makers find all their knitting supplies and inspiration in one place. Since then, we’ve expanded beyond knitting, to carry products in crochet, paper craft, sewing, embroidery, cross stitch, needlepoint, and quilting, with more craft categories in the pipeline.
LoveCrafts is the UK parent company of trading entities in the UK and US (namely LoveCrafts Makers Limited, Lovecrafts Inc and Valley Fibers Corporation (trading as “WEBS”)) and our subsidiary in Ukraine, which operates as a service company.  As an international platform, LoveCrafts has customers all over the world.

Stock

Crafting supplies are available on our platform from hundreds of distributors and brands globally, which we refer to as our “third party suppliers”. We also work directly with around 30 manufacturers to develop and source a growing range of exclusive, proprietary products that we sell under our own brands. We refer to these suppliers as our “private label suppliers”. Our supplier network covers a number of product types and materials, including cotton fabrics, cotton and other yarns, crafts materials and craft accessories. Third party suppliers are mostly based in the United States, United Kingdom and Europe, with some additional suppliers based in Canada, India and the Netherlands. Our private label suppliers are also largely based in North America, South America, Turkey and Europe.

Other partners

We partner with many other service providers, in order to facilitate our end-to-end business operations. These include software providers, professional advisers, companies that provide marketing solutions, logistics companies and carriers: essentially, all the providers a business would require to seamlessly support a customer’s purchase journey and/or online community visit from start to end. We have assessed that risk levels with these service providers are low, based on the nature of the services they provide, their locations and their relatively simple supply chains. We will continue to keep these risk levels under review. Many of our partners are also required to report under the Modern Slavery Act (or international equivalents), so we have been able to assess their compliance via their own public statements. 

Our warehouses

We continue to partner with a third party logistics provider in Europe, which services LoveCrafts customers worldwide - a reputable partner with whom we have a long held relationship and visit regularly. WEBS maintains warehouses out of leased properties in Massachusetts, USA, over which we have full control and full authority to maintain the wellbeing of our workers, with appropriate health and safety policies and procedures in place.

Ukraine

Sadly, the war still goes on in Ukraine - where many of our employees live and work. With policies designed to assist flexible and remote working, we have been able to continue to support our colleagues and remain committed to our Ukrainian hub.

• We continue to focus on those suppliers which we have identified as being in the highest risk area and look at these on a case by case basis.
• Using the Global Slavery Index, we have identified that our biggest risk area of forced labour is in relation to the supply of cotton as a raw material to our suppliers. We take extra precautions to investigate our supply of any finished goods made from cotton. 
• Our ‘onboarding’ process for new suppliers continues to include robust conversations about human rights (including modern slavery), animal welfare, sustainability and other ethical, social and environmental issues. This is supplemented with regular ongoing conversations with suppliers and site visits where possible.

As part of our commitment to combat modern slavery and human trafficking, as well as to ensure that our own workers have a safe environment in which to work, we have already implemented robust and comprehensive policies, including the following: 

Whistle Blowing (“Open Disclosure”) Policy 

Our open disclosure policy sets out the process for our employees to raise any concerns they may have in relation to compliance with our legal obligations, including in relation to modern slavery and human trafficking, and to ensure that there is adequate protection for employees who make protected disclosures or "blow the whistle". Disclosures can be made anonymously if preferred.

Anti-Bribery and Corruption Policy

Our Anti-Bribery and Corruption Policy deals with the specific risks faced in our business in the jurisdictions where our operations are based. We provide compulsory training for all staff to ensure a full understanding, and acceptance of the legal requirements and ethical issues. 

Anti-Bullying,  Harassment and Sexual Harassment policy

This policy sets out our commitment, under the Equality Act 2010, to provide a work environment free from bullying, harassment or sexual harrassment to enable employees to reach their full potential. It details what constitutes bullying,  harassment and sexual harassment and mechanisms for dealing with any issues which might arise.

Child Safeguarding and Protection Policy

This policy outlines and provides practical assistance on how we should provide children with appropriate safety and protection whilst we are working with them. It also provides guidance on indicators of child abuse and neglect and how any concerns can be disclosed confidentially.

Makers In Need Policy - Social and Domestic Violence

This policy sets out how we are committed to providing a safe working environment and supporting any members of our team who have experienced, may experience or be victims of domestic abuse or at high risk of harm. It also provides guidance on how any concerns can be disclosed confidentially.

Diversity and Equal Opportunities Policy

LoveCrafts firmly believes that everyone has a right to work in an environment that provides equal opportunities, fairness and respect for all, regardless of race (including colour, nationality, and ethnic or national origin), religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marital status, age, disability or social background. As such, we commit to provide a working environment where everyone’s individuality and unique contributions are recognised, valued and respected, and where all of our employees have equal opportunity to grow and attain their full potential. 

We also have a robust Diversity & Allyship Training E-learning course that is compulsory for all staff; we have adopted a bias decoder on job adverts to reveal and remove any gendered or biassed language to support fully inclusive global hiring; and encourage specific company objectives dedicated to DE&I (diversity, equity and inclusion).

Understanding the potential for abuse in the labour force, we have implemented robust processes during our recruitment process to confirm that all potential employees have the legal right to work in the location they have been employed and insist on the same from any employee service providers with whom we engage globally.

Our Supplier Handbook, which is issued with every purchase order, contains a minimum set of clear requirements that all our suppliers must comply with, including that they do not utilise forced, prison, or endangered labour, or subject workers to any form of compulsion or coercion. It also outlines ways in which we expect our suppliers to support us in ensuring our supply chain reflects our wider ethical values and respect for human and animal rights.

Our focus for the next 12 months:

• to look at our supply chains in depth to see what potential there is for streamlining, greater diligence and oversight as a newly combined group.
• continue to cover modern slavery issues as a regular agenda item in discussions with suppliers, and follow up with any suppliers where there are concerns relating to survey responses.
• we will monitor proposed legislative changes to the Modern Slavery Act in 2024-2025 and ensure compliance with any new reporting and/or operational requirements. We will also monitor the progress through Parliament of the new Employment Rights Bill 2024 so that we can adapt quickly to the new framework once it becomes law.
• we will ensure that regular and appropriate governance around ESG issues (including Modern Slavery) is in place at the board level as a formal agenda item.

This statement is made pursuant to section 54(1) of the UK Modern Slavery Act 2015 and constitutes LoveCrafts Group Limited’s slavery and human trafficking statement for the financial year ending 31 March 2024.

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Edward Griffith, CEO and Founder, on behalf of the Board of Directors