Financial Year ending 2025
This statement is published in accordance with Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, which requires organisations carrying on business in the UK to report annually on the steps taken to prevent modern slavery and human trafficking within their operations and supply chains.
Although The Vegan Society is a charity and may not fall within the statutory turnover threshold, we choose to publish this statement voluntarily to demonstrate our commitment to ethical practice.
Our Organisation
The Vegan Society is the world’s oldest vegan society whose co-founder Donald Watson defined the term ‘Vegan’ in 1944. We are a registered educational charity that provides information and guidance on various aspects of veganism, including to existing and potential vegans, caterers, healthcare professional, educators and the media. Our product registration scheme, the Vegan Trademark is globally recognised as a trusted accreditation for vegan products, ensuring that they are free from animal ingredients and excludes testing at the initiative of the company or on its behalf, or by parties over whom the company has effective control.
Our Commitment to Preventing Modern Slavery
We are committed to ensuring that modern slavery, defined as slavery, servitude, forced or compulsory labour, and human trafficking, continues to have no place in our organisation or our supply chains. This aligns with the Government’s recommended reporting areas under Section 54(5) of the Act.
Our Policies
We maintain several policies that support our approach to identifying and preventing modern slavery:
Recruitment Policy: We conduct right to work checks for all employees to safeguard against human trafficking or individuals forced to work against their will. We operate a fair and robust recruitment procedure.
Health and Safety Policy: All employees are inducted, in line with our H&S Policy which ensures a safe and supportive work environment for all. This policy is updated annually.
Equal Opportunities and Diversity Policy: We are fully committed to encouraging equality and diversity among our workforce and eliminating unlawful discrimination. Our terms and conditions of service promotes fair, consistent and inclusive treatment to all employees.
Code of Conduct: Outlines the behavioural standards expected from all employees, contractors and suppliers.
Whistleblowing Policy: Encourages all employees to report any concerns that fall under a protected disclosure, including those related to modern slavery or human trafficking.
These policies reflect best practice expectations outlined in updated Home Office guidance.
Our Supply Chains and High‑Risk Areas
Our activities include campaigns, public education, events, and product verification through the Vegan Trademark. We work with a range of businesses and organisations of varying sizes in the UK and internationally including service providers, print suppliers, IT services and manufacturers.
Under current guidance, organisations should outline their supply chain structure and potential risk areas. Consistent with this, our potential higher‑risk areas include:
- International suppliers involved in merchandise or printed materials
- Contractors associated with events and large‑scale campaigns
- Third‑party service providers operating outside the UK
We also expect all suppliers to:
- Take active steps to prevent modern slavery within their organisation
- Apply the same standards to their own suppliers
- Cooperate with us through due‑diligence checks
We reserve the right to terminate any supplier relationship if evidence of modern slavery is identified. This aligns with Section 54 expectations regarding due diligence and risk management.
Due Diligence
In line with Home Office guidance encouraging transparent and proportionate due diligence processes, our approach includes:
- Screening new suppliers for ethical compliance
- Requesting confirmation that they have not been convicted of modern slavery offences
- Applying ethical clauses within contracts where appropriate
- Reviewing concerns raised through our whistleblowing channels
Training and Awareness
Government guidance highlights the need for employee training as part of effective prevention measures.
We are committed to:
- Raising awareness of modern slavery among relevant staff
- Providing updates as legislation or risk areas evolve
- Ensuring employees know how to report concerns
Monitoring and Continuous Improvement
The Government’s updated guidance emphasises transparency, continuous improvement, and regular review of risk.
To reflect this:
- We will review this statement annually
- We will continually evaluate our supply chain risks
- Policy updates will be made in line with changes in legislation and good practice
This statement was updated in April 2026.
