tails.com Supplier code of conduct

Our Approach

Here at tails.com, we’re proud to partner with our selected suppliers who are helping us achieve our vision of changing the world of pet food for good. We work together to responsibly deliver our products ethically and sustainably, whilst doing our utmost to minimise our impact on the environment. 

At tails.com we’re a values-driven organisation and we work with our suppliers to build trusted long-term relationships; we strongly believe this contributes to continually improving performance in environmental, ethical and social issues. We measure our suppliers’ progress against the tails.com standards which assess their performance in: Quality, Service, Innovation, Profitability and Sustainability. 

To become a trusted supply partner to tails.com, it is our suppliers’ responsibility to meet the following standards during the supplier selection process and ensure the ongoing upholding of these standards. It is their duty to know and comply with all laws and regulations governing the countries in which they operate.

Ethical

We expect our suppliers to:

  • Support and respect the protection of internationally proclaimed human rights; as a minimum, a supplier must comply with the International labour standards set by the International Labour Organisation (“ILO”).
  • Comply with the Modern Slavery Act if operating within the United Kingdom.
  • Have their own policy and a zero-tolerance approach to any slavery or forced labour within their supply chain and workforce. 
  • Ensure equality of opportunity and treatment in all matters concerning employment  
  • Act without discrimination on grounds of race, colour, gender, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion, political opinion or social origin.
  • Support and respect the protection of internationally proclaimed human rights and ensure that they’re not complicit in human rights abuses.
  • Have an effective ethical code of conduct policy and ensure this is up to date with all relevant local and international laws and regulations that are relevant to the areas within which they operate.

    • Animal Welfare

    Our suppliers must take all reasonable measures to ensure that they and their suppliers and farmers comply with the World Organisation for Animal Health's five freedoms (OIE 5 Freedoms) and run farm management improvement plans accordingly

    People (Labour and Employment)

    We expect our suppliers to ensure that:

  • As a minimum, all their employees receive at least a minimum living wage and that wages are paid in a legal tender, at regular intervals of no longer than one month in full and directly to the employee. 
  • They have no forced labour throughout their business and or supply chain.
  • Regular hours of working, excluding overtime, shall be defined by contract and shall not exceed 48 hours per week or the legal limit, whichever is more stringent.
  • All overtime shall be voluntary and not exceed 12 hours per week and always compensated in accordance with local laws and regulations.
  • The total hours worked by an employee shall not exceed 60 hours in a 7-day week, employees shall be provided with at least one day off in every 7-day period and employees are entitled to regular breaks on their shift.
  • They act in accordance with the International labour standards set by ILO for employment of persons of suitable age.
  • As a minimum, they hold Sedex or equivalent accreditation whilst trading with tails.com.
  • They know and comply with all relevant local laws and international regulations regarding health & safety, and provide a safe working environment for their employees.
  • Their products are manufactured responsibly and safely.

    • Environmental

    We expect that our suppliers: 

  • Will at the very least meet all relevant local and international laws and regulations regarding the protection of the environment and have conducted an assessment of their impact.
  • Will work proactively to reduce their climate impact, as well as consider the method of logistics and transport that has the minimal amount of impact on the environment.
  • Will actively and responsibly separate, store safely, transport and dispose of all waste, and work to reduce, reuse and recycle where possible.
  • Shall store, handle, recycle, reuse and dispose of toxic chemicals and hazardous materials per manufacturer’s recommendations and only legally approved chemical substances may be used.
  • Will proactively ensure long-term sustainability of water resources and responsible use of water in balance with community and ecosystem needs.
  • Will wherever possible proactively undertake initiatives to promote greater environmental responsibility and sustainability, as well as encourage the use of environmentally friendly sourcing practices, operational processes and technology.

    • Anti-Corruption

    • We are never influenced by receiving favours nor do we try to improperly influence others by providing favours. We only offer or accept reasonable gestures and or symbolic gifts which are appropriate under the circumstances, and we don’t accept or offer gifts, meals, or entertainment if doing so could create the impression of improperly influencing the respective business relationship.
    • We never offer to, or accept from, any third-party gifts taking the form of any of the following, whatever the value involved: money, loans, kickbacks or similar monetary advantages.
    • We expect our suppliers to behave and share these values and have a zero-tolerance approach to corruption and bribery.

    Governance

    As part of our tails.com onboarding and ongoing performance processes, we work with our suppliers to ensure that these standards are met. We validate that our expectations are upheld through our internal process of supplier performance management and by using a third-party auditor to regularly visit our suppliers, to ensure a fair and impartial process for both parties. 

    We work with our suppliers to continually improve their processes and ensure they’re meeting the expected minimum requirements - this involves building a strong relationship, mutual education and enhancing overall performance for both parties.

    As a part of our supplier performance management process, we ask suppliers for feedback on our performance to ensure we maintain our high standards and continue to improve.

    Non-Compliance Reporting

    We report any practices or actions we believe to be inappropriate under this Code or that are illegal, to our line Manager, our Procurement Partner or CFO. If this is not appropriate for any reason, we report violations directly to any member of the Leadership Team, or via our confidential non-compliance reporting system Speak-Up, available 24/7 365 days a year. 

    You can submit a report via the confidential webform or via phone number to leave a message, by following the instructions below: 

    1. Submit your report via a Webform or call to leave a message on 0800-1693502

    2. Next, please select United Kingdom 

    3. Next, please describe the nature of your concern (who, what, when and how) and attach any supporting evidence you may have 

    4. Once you’ve submitted your report, you’ll receive an individual case number. Keep the number safe as you’ll need it each time you’d like to access the system and check for updates. 

    5. Thank you!

    Endorsement

    Ultimate responsibility for this Code of Conduct rests with our Leadership team. This statement has been approved by our board of directors.

    If you would like to share any feedback on this document, please email codeofconduct@tails.com.

    James Davidson CEO,

    Director and Co-founder

    1st February 2022