Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement

RWS Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement 2022/23

RWS Holdings plc and its subsidiaries (“RWS”) are committed to understanding modern slavery risks and ensuring that our businesses and supply chain are free from modern slavery and human trafficking. This statement (made pursuant to section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 (the “Act”)) sets out the steps that RWS has taken during the financial year ended 30 September 2023 and will continue to take to meet this commitment. We review this statement annually.

Business and organizational structure 

RWS is a unique, world-leading provider of technology-enabled language, content and intellectual property services. Through content transformation and multilingual data analysis, our unique combination of technology and cultural expertise helps our clients to grow by ensuring they are understood anywhere, in any language.

Our purpose is unlocking global understanding. By combining cultural understanding, client understanding and technical understanding, our services and technology assist our clients to acquire and retain customers, deliver engaging user experiences, maintain compliance and gain actionable insights into their data and content.

Our clients include 84 of the world's top 100 brands, 19 of the top 20 pharmaceutical companies and 18 of the top 20 patent filers. Our client base spans Europe, Africa, Asia Pacific and North and South America. We work in the automotive, chemical, financial, legal, medical, pharmaceutical, technology and telecommunications sectors, which we serve from 60+ global locations across six continents.

Founded in 1958, RWS is headquartered in the UK and publicly listed on AIM, the London Stock Exchange regulated market (RWS.L).

Policies and supply chain 

RWS has a number of policies and procedures designed to ensure that its activities, and those of its suppliers, are conducted ethically and in accordance with all applicable laws. These include the Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking policy, our Code of Conduct and policies and procedures relating to procurement and speaking-up. 

RWS has reviewed its supply chain to identify areas that may pose a higher risk of modern slavery and human trafficking. RWS’s key suppliers are entities or individuals providing professional services, primarily freelance translators, who support RWS’s client-facing activities, as well as a range of suppliers providing other services to support the operation of RWS. RWS and its suppliers do not engage in activities relating to manufacturing or natural resources. We therefore believe that RWS’s supply chain poses a lower risk of slavery and human trafficking than that of companies operating in other sectors; however, some risk does exist, and RWS is committed to mitigating that risk. By way of example, our programme for onboarding freelance translators includes background and identity checks, mandated adherence to our Supplier Code of Conduct, training and ongoing monitoring.

Employees 

RWS’s commitment to compliance with the Act applies equally to its own employees. Through its selection, recruitment and onboarding processes, RWS aims to ensure that the people it employs are not subject to modern slavery and human trafficking and are afforded the rights and protections that they are entitled to by law.

We also implement training programmes to raise awareness of ethical risks. To support full understanding and effective use of the Code of Conduct, RWS has developed training which all colleagues are expected to complete annually to ensure that employees are empowered to make the right decisions.

RWS encourages employees to report concerns they may have about RWS’s compliance with applicable laws and/or breaches of its own ethical standards, including our Code of Conduct, without fear of retaliation.

Governance 

This Statement has been approved for release by the RWS Board of Directors and made available on the company website www.rws.com.


Maria Schnell

Chief Language Officer

21 November 2023