Workwear firm Alexandra has strengthened its commitment to combating modern slavery across domestic and global supply chains by joining a new scheme.
The Thornbury-based firm, which has been designing and manufacturing garments since 1854, has joined forces with catering-to-home care group Sodexo UK and Ireland to launch the Modern Slavery Strategic Supplier Forum. 
The group is committed to tackling issues such as forced labour, servitude and human trafficking and will meet bi-annually to highlight risks, share best practice and agree common commitments to an issue estimated to impact over 40m people worldwide at any given time.
Members have already agreed to work together on joint communications initiatives to highlight whistleblowing policies and procedures to ensure all employees can safely report, in confidence, any issue that is unethical, illegal or unsafe.
Alexandra is one of Sodexo’s four largest strategic suppliers and has launched the group alongside the other three – caterer Brakes, distributor and outsourcer Bunzl and personnel group Blue Arrow.
The partnership builds on Alexandra’s longstanding commitment to tackle modern slavery throughout its supply chain.
The company, part of the Derbyshire-based Mi Hub apparel and fashion group, has been a signatory to the Ethical Trading Initiative for more than15 years, adhering to a code that ensures employees are treated ethically and rewarded fairly for their work. 
Alexandra and Mi Hub are also members of the Slave Free Alliance, a social enterprise and membership initiative launched by anti-slavery charity Hope for Justice which supports businesses on their modern slavery strategy and business policies.
In addition, Mi Hub in the process of implementing the HERProject aimed at empowering low-income women working in global supply chains.
Alexandra global sales and commercial director Rebecca Jones, pictured, said: “We are delighted to be working with Sodexo on this strategic supplier initiative to tackle modern slavery.
“We are very proud of what Alexandra has achieved over many years as members of the Ethical Trading Initiative.
“We are committed to supporting our local and global supply chains to create a fair and safe working environment for all employees. We constantly strive, through our work on the ground and through membership of key organisations like the Slave Free Alliance, to further improve working conditions and uphold human rights for all.”
Sodexo director of supply management UK & Ireland, Patrick Forbes, added: “This Strategic Supplier Forum offers an opportunity for the wider supply chain to work together to address this abhorrent crime and we look forward to collaborating with our partners.”
Alexandra transformed its operations during the Covid crisis to ensure that frontline healthcare staff had the scrubs and protective equipment they needed.
More than 90% of manufacturing capacity in its UK and international factories was switched to producing scrubs for the NHS.
The companies’ efforts were recognised at the national Supply Chain Excellence Awards, where it won the Healthcare & Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Excellence title.
Meanwhile, Alexandra has been announced as the headline sponsor of this year’s RCN Nursing Awards 2021.
The company, which has supplied uniforms and scrubs for generations of nurses, is also sponsoring the Patient’s Choice award, which gives patients the chance to nominate a nurse or healthcare assistant who has made a real difference to their lives.
