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Conducting business responsibly

Conducting business responsibly is a key foundation in everything we do and underpins all aspects of our business including our sustainability strategy. Our approach to business is guided by a clear set of Company values and a culture of safety that is overseen by the strong corporate governance of our Board. Internally we have robust operational structures, controls and polices that ensure good communication, oversight and effectiveness.

We hold ourselves, our employees and our suppliers to high ethical and governance standards which include international labour standards and human rights. We continue to offer our employees a fair income, with opportunities for personal development and progression. In pursuit of our goal of zero harm we continue to invest in training and manufacturing processes to keep our colleagues safe and healthy and to reduce accident rates.

Corporate Governance

The role of the Board is to provide leadership to the Company and to deliver shareholder value over the long term. The Board sets the Company’s values and standards, making sure that they align with its strategic aims and the desired business culture. The Board is responsible for setting the Group’s strategy, understanding the Group’s stakeholders, while maintaining a balanced approach to risk within a framework of effective controls. It has also established the Company’s purpose and values and monitors culture to ensure alignment. It sets the tone and approach to corporate governance and is responsible for the overall financial performance of the Group. The Board delegates specific powers for some matters to committees, details of which are set out below.

 

Board composition

The Board members have separate, clearly defined roles and responsibilities and all the Non-Executive Directors are required to devote sufficient time to meet their Board responsibilities and demonstrate commitment to their role.

 

Board responsibilities

In order to retain control of key decisions and ensure that there is a clear division of responsibilities between the Board and the running of the Company business, the Board has a formal schedule of matters reserved for its decision that is reviewed annually to ensure it remains fit for purpose.

Audit and Risk Committee

In compliance with the UK Corporate Governance Code, the Audit and Risk Committee is made up of three Independent Non-Executive Directors, one of whom has recent and relevant financial experience. The Audit and Risk Committee is chaired by Martin Payne and its other members are Katherine Innes Ker’and Nicola Bruce.

Nomination Committee

In compliance with the UK Corporate Governance Code, the majority of the Nomination Committee is made up of Independent Non-Executive Directors. The Nomination Committee is chaired by Katherine Innes Ker (Senior Independent Director) and the three other non-executive members are Martin Payne, Nicola Bruce and Edmund Lazarus.

Remuneration Committee

In compliance with the UK Corporate Governance Code, the Remuneration Committee is made up of three Independent Non-Executive Directors, one of whom has served on a remuneration committee for at least twelve months. The Remuneration Committee is chaired by Nicola Bruce and its other members are Katherine Innes Ker and Martin Payne.

Articles of Association

Tax Strategy

KEY METRICS

Lost time frequency rate
2022 2023 2024
8.99 8.61 4.75
Lost time severity rate
2022 2023 2024
62.07 42.60 54.77
% of suppliers with up-to-date audits
2022 2023 2024
19.7% 64.3% 70.1%

  • The lost time frequency rate measures the number of lost time incidents for every one million hours worked, while the lost time severity rate measures the number of days lost due to incidents per 200,000 working hours.
    Our frequency rate decreased 45%, driven largely by performance at our Italian site. Two sites also achieved a full year without any lost time incidents in 2024. Our severity rate increased in 2024 due to some significant lost time in Turkey.
    Safety remains our number one priority, and we aim for zero harm across all our operations.

  • We continued to extend the reach of our supplier auditing process, with 70% of suppliers audited on schedule at the end of 2024.

    We are continuing to make good progress towards our target of 75%.

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We have a range of corporate policies in place to guide our behaviour. To access these, please see Our policies

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