SLAVERY & HUMAN TRAFFICKING STATEMENT
Duracell UK Ltd (hereinafter “Duracell”) is a UK company and part of the Berkshire Hathaway Group. Duracell takes its responsibility very seriously to ensure that there is no modern slavery or human trafficking in our supply chain or in any part of our business. This statement constitutes our compliance pursuant to section 54(1) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 for the financial year ending December 2022.
ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE OF DURACELL
Duracell is a private limited company incorporated in England and Wales. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Duracell Company, a consumer battery, and mobile power supply solutions manufacturer incorporated in the USA and ultimately part of the Berkshire Hathaway group of companies. Duracell’s business for the UK operates from its office in Richmond. Duracell’s European headquarters are based in Geneva, Switzerland. The Duracell group of companies has a wide presence across Europe and globally.
OUR BUSINESS
Duracell is one of the world’s leading manufacturer of high-performance alkaline batteries, specialty cells and rechargeables. Since its foundation in the early 1940s, the company has become an iconic personal power brand, trusted for compact and long-lasting batteries. On average 160 Duracell products are sold every second, and Duracell is the number one brand recommended by the world’s largest manufacturers. Duracell has a rich history of innovation with many pioneering and successful products, ranging from the first hearing aid cell button to alkaline AA and AAA batteries through to wireless charging technologies and home energy storage.
OUR SUPPLY CHAINS
We rely mainly on our internal manufacturing and have our two AA/AAA manufacturing and packaging facilities for Europe being based in Belgium. Our manufacturing plant – based in Aarschot, Belgium – was audited by the Belgian state and in 2019 was awarded the title of “Factory of the Future”. This award relates to production and process efficiency but also to environmental sustainability. As of January 2020, our plant in Aarschot and our pack center in Heist (also Belgium) are running on 100% green energy.
We further have manufacturing facilities in the United States and China
ANTI-SLAVERY POLICY
We are committed to ensuring that there is no modern slavery or human trafficking in our supply chain or in any part of our business. Our Anti-Slavery Policy reflects our commitment to being a responsible business which operates ethically and with integrity across all aspects of our operations, including our supplier relationships. We support human rights and anti-corruption, fair pay and equal opportunities and we also have an established Ethics Hotline.
DUE DILIGENCE
Duracell has very thorough selection of its suppliers, verifying their compliance with applicable laws. The company has adapted a range of policies and procedures for risk mitigation (including the risk of human trafficking and slavery) including :
