This is a voluntary statement prepared by Patch Gardens Ltd (company no. 09897155) (“Patch”). While the obligations of section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 do not currently apply to Patch, we recognise the importance of its principles and have prepared this statement to demonstrate our commitment to them.
Introduction
Patch’s mission is to create greener, not greyer cities, and we seek to do so in a way that benefits its employees, communities and the environment. As part of this, we are committed to do our part to reduce the likelihood of modern slavery occurring in any part of our business, or across our supply chain.
About us
Patch is an online plant delivery company, founded in December 2015. We’re based in the UK with our head office and UK warehouse in Battersea, London, and our fulfilment centre in Aalsmeer, the Netherlands. We directly employee 55 people across our two sites, and we also work with contractors and some temporary staff. Having started our journey in London, as of 2020, Patch delivers across the UK.
Our supply chain
We aim to bring our customers the highest quality products, and so we operate a just in time supply chain, sourcing plants directly from growers, all of whom have the Royal FloraHolland A1 badge of quality. We also use 3rd parties to transport and deliver our products, both from the Netherlands to the UK, and then across the UK.
Working directly with growers and suppliers gives us the opportunity to select those that will adhere to our code of conduct and align to our principles. Similarly we will work only with agencies who will meet our standards of employment practices when using temporary staff or contractors. Our code of conduct highlights the need to, as a minimum, meet either the industry benchmark or national legal standards for wages and benefits.
We are now in the process of implementing a questionnaire to understand the employment, social and environmental practices of new suppliers.
Our employees
The recruitment and employment of Patch employees adheres to all applicable regulations. We also commit to paying a living wage to all employees at Patch, and for those based in London, this is the London living wage.
All Patch employees are subject to our code of ethics which states that all employees must act honestly, fairly and with transparency. Breach of our code of ethics is subject to disciplinary action, and we have a whistleblowing policy for all employees to report any concerns.
This statement has been approved by the Patch board.
