Modern Slavery Statement
Modern Slavery Statement
This statement is made pursuant to Section 54 of the United Kingdom's Modern Slavery Act 2015, the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and outlines the steps Digitalis has taken and continues to take to ensure that modern slavery, including slavery, servitude, human trafficking, and forced labour, does not occur within our business or supply chain. Digitalis maintains a zero-tolerance approach to any form of modern slavery. We are committed to acting ethically, with integrity and transparency in all business dealings, and to implementing effective measures to prevent modern slavery in our operations and supply chain.
Our Business
Digitalis provides professional and managed services for modern open-source real-time distributed data platforms.
Our Policies
We operate several internal policies to ensure that we conduct business in an ethical and transparent manner, adapted to our size and remote structure. These include:
- Modern-Slavery Policy: This policy sets out our stance on modern slavery and provides guidance for employees on identifying potential instances and reporting concerns, even in a remote working environment.
- Recruitment Policy: We maintain a robust recruitment process, including conducting eligibility to work in the UK checks for all employees to safeguard against human trafficking or individuals being forced to work against their will. As a remote company, we use secure digital processes for verification.
- Whistleblowing Policy: This policy ensures that all employees can raise concerns about how colleagues are treated or practised within our business or supply chain without fear of reprisal, with clear remote reporting channels.
- Code of Business Conduct: This code outlines the manner in which we behave as an organisation and the expectations we have for our employees and suppliers to act ethically.
Our Suppliers
Digitalis operates a supplier policy and maintains a preferred supplier list. We conduct due diligence on all suppliers before allowing them to become preferred suppliers. This due diligence includes online research to ensure that an organisation has no history of convictions related to modern slavery. Our anti-slavery policy forms part of our contracts with all suppliers, and they are required to confirm that no part of their business operations contradicts this policy. Specifically, we require suppliers to:
- Take steps to eradicate modern slavery within their business.
- Hold their own suppliers accountable over modern slavery.
- For UK-based suppliers, pay their employees at least the National Living Wage.
- For international suppliers, pay their employees any prevailing minimum wage applicable within their country of operations.
- Acknowledge that we may terminate the contract at any time should instances of modern slavery come to light.
Given our remote operations, we do not conduct on-site audits but rely on contractual assurances and publicly available information to monitor supplier compliance. We commit to reviewing these processes regularly to ensure they remain effective.
Training
We regularly conduct training for our operations team, as well as other relevant staff, to ensure they understand the signs of modern slavery and know what to do if they suspect it is taking place within our supply chain. Training is delivered through online platforms to suit our remote working model, ensuring accessibility for all staff. We aim to refresh this training annually or when significant updates to guidance or risks are identified.
Risk Assessment and Due Diligence
As a remote consultancy company, our direct risk of modern slavery within our workforce is low due to our European-based team and robust recruitment checks. However, we recognise potential risks in our supply chain, particularly with international providers of IT hardware or software services. We assess these risks by mapping our supply chain to identify high-risk areas or regions and prioritising engagement with suppliers who demonstrate transparency and commitment to ethical practices. We commit to taking proportionate action if risks are identified, such as requesting additional assurances or terminating relationships with non-compliant suppliers.
Performance Indicators
We measure the effectiveness of the steps we are taking to ensure that slavery and/or human trafficking is not taking place within our business or supply chain through the following indicators:
- No reports are received from employees, the public, or law enforcement agencies indicating that modern slavery practices have been identified.
- Completion of annual training by all relevant staff.
- Positive feedback or compliance confirmation from suppliers regarding our anti-slavery requirements.
Commitment to Transparency
In line with the updated guidance on the Modern Slavery Act 2015, we strive to comply with both the letter and spirit of the law by taking meaningful action proportionate to our size and resources. While not legally required to publish a statement due to our turnover, we voluntarily do so to demonstrate our commitment to ethical practices. We will consider uploading this statement to the appropriate government registry if applicable, as encouraged by the guidance, to ensure accessibility to stakeholders.
Approval
This statement has been approved by Hayato Shimizu, CEO and applies to the financial year ending March 2026. We will review and update this statement annually.