Modern Slavery Act

H WESTONS & SONS LTD MODERN SLAVERY STATEMENT 2025

This statement is H. Weston & Sons Ltd modern slavery and human trafficking statement relating to section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 (“the Act”). 

H Weston & Sons Ltd (Westons Cider) oppose slavery and human trafficking in all its forms and make this statement to set out the steps we have taken to ensure that slavery or human trafficking is not taking place in our business or in our supply chains. 

INTRODUCTION

Based in the Herefordshire village of Much Marcle, Westons has a proud family history of crafting premium cider, with our roots dating back to 1880. For five generations, the Weston family has worked alongside dedicated colleagues who share a passion for creating authentic ciders that people love.

Our values of People, Pride, Passion, and Expertise are at the heart of everything we do. We value and respect every individual who contributes to our business and are committed to fostering a safe, inclusive, and ethical working environment. We take pride not only in our heritage, cider-making skills, and award-winning brands, but also in the way we conduct business with integrity and responsibility. Our passion drives us to continually improve, while our expertise, built over more than 140 years, underpins our commitment to quality, sustainability, and responsible business practices.

These values also shape our approach to protecting human rights and preventing modern slavery. We are committed to acting ethically and transparently throughout our operations and supply chains, ensuring that the people behind our products are treated with dignity, fairness, and respect. We are proud to put our family name on every bottle, reflecting the high standards we expect in both our products and the way we do business.

BUSINESS STRUCTURE

Westons Cider began selling cider in 1880 by founder Henry Weston. Helen Thomas, the current Managing Director of Westons Cider is a fourth-generation family member (Henry Westons great-granddaughter), who since 1996 has successfully grown the business to what it is today. Currently the business employees approximately 310 employees.

OUR POLICIES

Westons have a number of policies in place to assist us in ensuring compliance with the Act.

• Recruitment Policy;
• Whistleblowing Policy;
• Human Rights Policy;
• Child Labour Remediation Policy;
• Anti-Bribery & Anti-corruption Policy;
• Ethical Trade Policy;

Company policies are continuously reviewed and updated, as a minimum annually. The company also complies with the requirements of the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) base code and is a member of the Supplier Ethical Data Exchange (SEDEX). We are regularly audited by third parties to ensure that we comply with these standards as well as customer specific requirements through audits such as the SEDEX Members Ethical Trade Audit (SMETA). These assessments help us monitor our performance, identify opportunities for continuous improvement, and demonstrate our commitment to preventing modern slavery and protecting the rights of workers.

Due Diligence & Risk assessment

Westons conducts due diligence on all approved suppliers as part of our supplier approval process. All suppliers are required to accept our Terms of Trade, which include requirements to comply with the UK Modern Slavery Act 2015 (or applicable equivalent legislation), uphold ethical employment practices and maintain systems to prevent forced labour, bonded labour, human trafficking and worker exploitation within their operations and supply chains.

Suppliers are also expected to comply with our Supplier Responsible Sourcing Code and our ethical business standards.

Westons has a zero-tolerance approach to modern slavery and human trafficking and reserves the right to investigate concerns and discontinue business with any organisation that fails to meet these requirements.

OUR COMMITMENT 

Westons acknowledges its responsibilities in relation to tackling modern slavery and commits to complying with the provisions in the Modern Slavery Act 2015. We understand that this requires an ongoing review of both our internal practices in relation to our teams and additionally our supply chains.

Westons is required under the Modern Slavery Act to demonstrate the steps that we are taking to prevent modern slavery in our business and supply chains. This statement describes the steps we have and are taking to prevent modern slavery.

• We engage with our suppliers to raise awareness of and ensure compliance with the Modern Slavey Act.

• We ensure that 100% of our employees are exposed to modern slavery awareness-training, equipping them to recognise the indicators of modern slavery, forced labour and human trafficking, understand their responsibilities, and know how to raise concerns through the appropriate reporting channels, including our Whistleblowing Policy.

• We audit 100% the employment agencies that we engage with, as a minimum, on an annual basis, and more frequently if needed. We ensure that agencies on our preferred supplier list have appropriate policies and contractual commitments relating to modern slavery, ethical recruitment and worker welfare, and that they comply with all relevant legal and ethical standards.

• We continue our due diligence processes in relation to ensuring slavery and/or human trafficking does not take place within the company or its supply chains.

• We continue to ensure we are tackling modern slavery through our purchasing practices. We provide our procurement team with specific training on tackling modern slavery through purchasing practices.

• We ensure that 100% of all inductions for permanent and temporary labour include modern slavery awareness. This ensures that all individuals joining the business understand our zero-tolerance approach, recognise potential warning signs, and know how to report any concerns.

• All employees are expected to understand and comply with our Recruitment Policy, Human Rights Policy, Ethical Trade Policy, Child Labour Remediation Policy, Whistleblowing Policy, and Anti-Bribery and Anti-Corruption Policy. These policies collectively support our commitment to ethical conduct, respect for human rights and the prevention of exploitation in all its forms.

• Provide a safe, respectful and supportive working environment. In line with our values of People, Pride, Passion and Expertise, we are committed to creating a workplace where employees and agency workers feel safe, respected and able to speak up. We encourage individuals to raise concerns about their own wellbeing or that of colleagues with their Line Manager, HR, or through our confidential Whistleblowing process. Any concerns relating to potential modern slavery, forced labour or human trafficking are taken seriously, investigated appropriately and managed in accordance with our policies.

BOARD APPROVAL

This slavery and human trafficking statement is made in connection with section 54(1) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, for the financial year ending 31 March 2026.

It was approved by The Managing Director, Helen Thomas and Board of Directors on 14th July 2026.