Human Rights Policy

Purpose and Public Commitment​

Cafeology Limited is committed to conducting business in a way that respects the dignity, rights and freedoms of every person affected by our activities. We recognise that our decisions can affect people through our own operations, through the products and services we provide, and through the business relationships and supply chains on which we depend. We therefore accept a responsibility to avoid infringing human rights, to prevent or reduce adverse impacts where we can, and to respond appropriately when harm occurs.

This is a public commitment. Cafeology will make this policy available to employees, suppliers, business partners and other stakeholders and will seek to embed its principles in everyday decision-making. It forms part of how we govern the company, source coffee and other goods, employ and support people, serve customers and work with communities.

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Scope

This policy applies to Cafeology Limited, its directors, employees, contractors and anyone acting on the company’s behalf. It also sets out the standards we expect suppliers, importers, logistics providers, service providers and other business partners to support within their own operations and value chains. Our commitment extends to employees, workers in our supply chain, customers, contractors, local communities and other people who may be affected by our business activities. The policy applies across Cafeology’s UK operations and throughout the domestic and international value chains connected with our coffee, tea, equipment, packaging, transport, warehousing, maintenance and other purchased goods and services. The manner in which we apply due diligence will be proportionate to the severity of the potential impact, the nature of the relationship and Cafeology’s ability to influence an outcome.

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International Standards

Cafeology commits to respecting internationally recognised human rights and to aligning its approach with the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, the International Bill of Human Rights, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the International Labour Organisation Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work. Where national law and international human-rights standards differ, we will comply with applicable law while seeking, wherever legally possible, to uphold the higher standard of protection.

Consistent with the ILO Declaration, Cafeology supports freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining; the elimination of all forms of forced or compulsory labour; the effective abolition of child labour; the elimination of discrimination in employment and occupation; and a safe and healthy working environment. Detailed requirements relating to slavery, servitude, forced labour and human trafficking are set out in Cafeology’s Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Policy.

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The Rights We Seek To Respect

Cafeology respects the right of every person to be treated fairly and with dignity. We do not tolerate discrimination, harassment, bullying, violence, intimidation, abuse or exploitation. We support fair recruitment, clear terms of employment, lawful working hours, fair and timely pay, rest and leave, safe and healthy working conditions, and access to information and workplace representation. Workers must be able to raise concerns and participate in lawful worker organisations without retaliation or disadvantage. We respect privacy, personal data and freedom of expression, association and participation. Personal information relating to employees, customers, suppliers and other stakeholders must be collected and handled lawfully, fairly, securely and only for legitimate purposes. We also seek to ensure that our products, services, communications and customer relationships do not create avoidable risks to health, safety, privacy, accessibility or equal treatment. Cafeology recognises that adverse impacts are not experienced equally. Children and young people, women, minority and indigenous communities, migrant and seasonal workers, people with disabilities, people living in poverty and those with insecure immigration or employment status may be more exposed to harm or less able to obtain remedy. We will consider vulnerability, barriers to participation and the potential for cumulative harm when assessing and responding to human-rights risks.

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Human Rights In Our Coffee Value Chain

As a coffee roaster, Cafeology understands that some of its most significant potential human-rights impacts may arise beyond its direct operations. Coffee production often involves smallholder farmers, agricultural workers, seasonal and migrant labour, cooperatives, mills, exporters and importers operating across complex value chains. Relevant issues may include poverty and low household income, unfair or unpredictable trading conditions, child rights, discrimination, freedom of association, land and resource rights, health and safety, access to clean water, exposure to agrochemicals, climate-related loss of livelihood and limited access to effective grievance mechanisms.

Cafeology will not assume that certification, an audit or a long-standing commercial relationship is sufficient evidence that human-rights risks are absent. We will use the information reasonably available to us, including origin and supplier information, credible external research, certification evidence, stakeholder feedback and dialogue with importers, producers and other partners, to improve our understanding of conditions within our value chain. Where visibility is limited, we will acknowledge the limitation and work progressively to improve traceability and oversight, particularly for higher-risk products, locations and relationships.

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Human Rights Due diligence And Salient Issues

Cafeology will maintain a proportionate human-rights due-diligence process focused on risks to people rather than only risks to the company. We will identify actual and potential impacts connected with our operations, products, services and business relationships; assess where those impacts may occur; and prioritise the issues that could cause the most severe harm. In prioritising issues, the seriousness, scale and ability to remedy the harm will carry greater weight than the commercial value of the relationship or the probability of the issue receiving public attention.

Our assessment will draw on desk-based research and, where practicable, the perspectives of people who may be affected or of credible representatives and organisations able to speak to their circumstances. This may include employees, suppliers, importers, producers, worker representatives, customers, community organisations, certification bodies and subject-matter experts. Cafeology will undertake a fuller review of its salient human-rights issues at least every three years and sooner when there is a significant change in sourcing, business activity, geography, product, service or risk context. The results of the assessment will inform a human-rights action plan or equivalent business objectives. The leadership team will review the plan at least annually. It will identify priorities, responsibilities, actions and suitable indicators so that Cafeology can monitor whether its response is reducing the risk of harm. Human-rights considerations will be incorporated into relevant procurement, recruitment, health and safety, data protection, product, customer, partnership and project decisions rather than being considered only after a problem has occurred.

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Prevention and responsible decision-making

Cafeology will seek to prevent harm by acting on identified risks, strengthening internal controls and considering human-rights consequences before significant decisions are made. Where a proposed supplier, project, service, product or business relationship presents a material risk, we will carry out a proportionate assessment and identify reasonable measures to prevent or reduce adverse impacts. A commercial opportunity, lower price or urgent deadline will not justify knowingly disregarding a serious risk to people. We recognise that Cafeology’s own conduct can affect conditions in its value chain. We will therefore seek to use realistic lead times, clear specifications, fair communication and timely payment, and to avoid purchasing practices that could encourage excessive hours, unsafe work, underpayment or other harmful shortcuts. Where we set expectations for suppliers, we will also consider our own responsibilities as a buyer and seek a balanced, collaborative approach to improvement.

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Working With Suppliers and Business Partners

Cafeology expects suppliers and business partners to respect internationally recognised human rights, comply with applicable employment and safety law, maintain appropriate controls, provide workers with a safe means of raising concerns and cooperate with reasonable due-diligence enquiries. We expect equivalent standards to be promoted through relevant subcontracting and supply-chain relationships. These expectations may be reflected in supplier communications, questionnaires, purchasing documents, codes of conduct and contracts in a manner proportionate to the relationship and risk. Where a supplier is connected with one of Cafeology’s salient human-rights issues, we will favour engagement and shared improvement over a purely audit-led or punitive response. This may involve agreeing actions, responsibilities, timescales and evidence of progress. Cafeology will seek to use its influence constructively, including through dialogue, purchasing decisions, collaboration with other buyers or specialist organisations, and support for greater traceability. If a supplier refuses to provide reasonable information, conceals serious harm, retaliates against affected people or repeatedly fails to act, Cafeology may suspend or end the relationship after considering the likely consequences for workers and other affected stakeholders.

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Raising Concerns and Access To Remedy

Employees, workers, suppliers, customers, contractors, community members and other stakeholders are encouraged to raise concerns about an actual or potential human-rights impact as early as possible. Concerns may be raised with a line manager, the Operations Director or the Financial Director, or through Cafeology’s Whistleblowing Policy. They may also be submitted by telephone on 0114 255 8007 or email to info@cafeology.com, or in writing to the Operations Director at:

Cafeology Limited

4 Vantage Park

Coborn Avenue

Sheffield S9 1DA.

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Cafeology will receive concerns in good faith, handle information sensitively and protect people from retaliation. A person does not need to prove that a breach has occurred before raising a concern, and no one should place themselves or another person at risk to obtain evidence. Reports may be made anonymously, although this can limit our ability to investigate or provide feedback. Where a person believes that using Cafeology’s normal channels would be unsafe or ineffective, they may use an appropriate external authority, regulator, trade union, specialist helpline or legal remedy. When Cafeology identifies that it has caused or contributed to an adverse impact, we will seek to provide for, or cooperate in, an effective remedy. Where an impact is directly linked to Cafeology through a business relationship, we will use the influence reasonably available to us to encourage prevention, mitigation and remedy. The response will be guided by the needs, safety and views of affected people and may include acknowledgement, apology, repayment, correction of terms or practices, restoration of rights, support, disciplinary or contractual action, and measures designed to prevent recurrence. We will monitor whether the remedy has been effective rather than treating the closure of an investigation as the end of the matter.

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Governance and Responsibilities

The Cafeology Board of Directors has overall responsibility for this policy and will approve it, receive information on significant human-rights risks and review the effectiveness of Cafeology’s approach. The Board will consider human-rights impacts as part of its responsibility to balance the interests of employees, suppliers, customers, communities, the environment and other stakeholders in company decision-making. The Operations Director has day-to-day responsibility for coordinating implementation. This includes maintaining the due-diligence process, ensuring significant concerns are escalated, supporting supplier engagement, coordinating responses and remediation, arranging appropriate training, and reporting material issues and progress to the leadership team and Board. Other directors and managers are responsible for applying the policy within their areas of work and ensuring that relevant decisions, controls and records reflect Cafeology’s commitments. All employees and representatives of Cafeology are expected to act consistently with this policy, complete relevant training, remain alert to potential impacts and raise concerns. No employee will be instructed or expected to ignore a human-rights concern in order to meet a financial, operational or commercial objective.

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Training, Monitoring and Transparency

Cafeology will promote awareness of this policy among employees and relevant business partners. Training will be proportionate to role and risk, with additional attention given to colleagues involved in sourcing, procurement, recruitment, people management, health and safety, warehousing, logistics, customer data, supplier management and the investigation of concerns. We will monitor implementation through suitable qualitative and quantitative information. This may include completion of risk assessments and training, supplier engagement, traceability, concerns raised, corrective actions, remedies, stakeholder feedback and progress against human-rights objectives. An absence of reported cases will not, on its own, be treated as evidence that no risks exist; Cafeology will also consider whether people understand the reporting routes and feel able to use them. Cafeology will review its human-rights strategy and progress at least annually and will use the findings to improve its policies, procedures and priorities. We will make available a proportionate public summary of our salient human-rights issues, the approach used to identify them and the progress made in addressing them. We will be transparent about material limitations, gaps in information and areas where further work is required.

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Contact
Questions, comments and requests regarding this human rights policy – please contact the Customer Service Team:

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• by telephone on 0114 255 8007

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• email us at: info@cafeology.com;

• via our website cafeology.com; or

• by post to: Cafeology Limited, 4 Vantage Park, Coborn Avenue, Sheffield S9 1DA

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