Modern Slavery Act 2015 Compliance Statement for 2024

This is the annual Modern Slavery Statement for 2024 for FedEx Express UK Limited and FedEx Express UK Transportation Limited (collectively referred to as “FedEx”) for financial year ending 31st May 2024.

A copy of the Modern Slavery statements for last year can be accessed here: 2023.

This statement outlines the steps FedEx takes to minimise the risk of modern slavery in its business and supply chains in the last financial year as well as sets out our continuing commitment and future plans.

Within the United Kingdom FedEx provides international and domestic delivery services and operates through two companies, FedEx Express UK Limited and FedEx Express UK Transportation Limited. The same internal policies and procedures apply to both companies equally.

FedEx has a large and complex supply chain and has many direct supply arrangements on a global basis and country basis.

The FedEx Code of Business Conduct and Ethics is enshrined within the FedEx business and is the international standard that applies globally forming the bedrock upon which all compliance is built. It requires all FedEx team members to act with integrity and ensure that everything we do complies with legal and ethical obligations. The FedEx Code of Business Conduct and Ethics outlines the FedEx position regarding human rights which means we:

• are committed to protecting human rights in our operations.
• prohibit the use of illegal, child, compulsory or forced labour.
• have a zero tolerance for, and prohibit, human slavery and trafficking.
• pay fair wages and follow wage and hour laws in the countries and territories where we operate.
• require our third parties to respect human rights.
• encourage team members to report any suspected violation of human rights.
• act responsibly to contract with suppliers that also respect human rights.

This means that we expect that we maintain these standards in all dealings with our suppliers and we expect our suppliers to meet the same standards of integrity and compliance with law. This is supported by the FedEx Supplier Codes of Conduct. The FedEx Code of Business Conduct and Ethics is continually reviewed, updated and team members receive regular training reinforcing the compliance requirement.

The FedEx Board of Directors and management teams are dedicated to maintaining our strong culture of ethics, integrity and reliability. Our Board has delegated compliance oversight responsibility to our Audit and Finance committee which will oversee compliance and ethics programs. Within the United Kingdom the local UK Management Board is responsible for overseeing compliance at a local level.

FedEx remains committed to doing good, protecting and advancing human rights in all of our operations wherever they may be in the world.

Our policies and procedures help to ensure that the risk of slavery and human trafficking occur within our business or our supply chains is mitigated as much as possible.

We continue to expect and require our suppliers to commit to the same high standards of compliance and take the same approach to tackling modern slavery. We check our high risk suppliers comply with our standards by asking them to complete our modern slavery supplier questionnaire. This questionnaire asks suppliers to confirm, amongst other things, what steps they are taking to mitigate risks of modern slavery taking place in their own supply chains.

All new suppliers are required to agree to comply with our standards on modern slavery from the outset of the procurement process by ensuring they agree to our tendering guidelines. New suppliers will enter into contracts that require them to confirm their compliance with all laws including those that relate to modern slavery and are also required to complete an on-boarding questionnaire.

Third party supplier compliance monitoring tools are also used that evaluates the performance of a supplier on a range of topics including Labour, Human Rights and Ethics. 

FedEx continually ensures focus upon compliance with the FedEx Code of Business Conduct and Ethics and this combined with maintaining our policy on modern slavery and human trafficking and the FedEx Alert Line supports our aim to mitigate the risk in this area.

The FedEx Alert Line can be accessed by all FedEx employees or any other person who wishes to raise a concern. We encourage employees and other parties to raise concerns about any issue which includes any suspicion of modern slavery through the FedEx Alert Line. All reports are closely monitored by our specialist compliance team and have visibility at director and management level. These specialist teams will ensure that reports received through the FedEx Alert Line are acted upon and are promptly dealt with.

FedEx employees are also encouraged to report any issues including modern slavery issues or other concerns in accordance with FedEx’s Open Door and Whistleblowing policies without fear of reprisal or retribution.

The FedEx Security team maintains a close working relationship globally and locally with law enforcement agencies and regulatory bodies to ensure that it fully understands the current risks and trends.

Although we believe the risk of modern slavery to be low we believe the risk is slightly higher with some of the smaller suppliers that we engage with. As a consequence of this we are currently commencing a trial of a third party compliance platform which it is intended will support those smaller suppliers with maintaining their own compliance and allow FedEx to more effectively audit suppliers compliance.

Regular training is provided to all employees locally on the FedEx Code of Business Conduct and Ethics. Specific training on the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and its requirements is provided to those departments that are most likely to come into contact on such issues.

During the next financial year, we will continue to maintain our strong focus upon acting with integrity and in compliance with all laws and ethics. We will also continue to:

• source our suppliers in a responsible manner that meet our expected compliance standards;
• require new suppliers to agree to comply with modern slavery contractual provisions;
• require all our suppliers to operate in full compliance with all applicable laws and regulations;
• promote compliance standards to our supplier base when possible;
• engage with regulatory bodies, including the Home Office regarding risks and issues in our sector and seek to identify ways to further mitigate risk;
• conduct random compliance audits on high risk suppliers.

In addition in the next financial year we intend to:

• launch the trial of a third party compliance platform to enhance smaller supplier compliance.

Environmental, Social and Governance Report 2024:
https://www.fedex.com/content/dam/fedex/us-united-states/sustainability/gcrs/FedEx_2024_ESG_Report.pdf

Corporate Integrity & Compliance (which includes a link to the FedEx Code of Business Conduct and Ethics as well as the FedEx Human Trafficking Policy and the Supplier Code of Conduct):
https://www.fedex.com/en-us/about/policy/corporate-integrity-and-compliance.html

This statement is signed on behalf of FedEx by Emma Symons, Managing Director Human Resources Services on 29th November 2024.