Ethical Standards

Ethical Trading Policy

As the leading supplier of traditional handmade bricks in the UK, we have strict trading policies and only source our products from ethical supply partners.

Integral to our business is the empowerment of sustainable and ethical supply chains and we work closely with suppliers to ensure that they deliver and meet ethical policies and business practices.

We want our trade customers, specifiers and end users to be confident that Imperial Bricks products are made ethically to the highest standards, and that those who make our bricks are treated fairly, with respect for their human rights and that they’re not exposed to unsafe working conditions.

Sedex Membership & Audits

Imperial Bricks is a member of Sedex (Supplier Ethical Data Exchange) and is fully committed to sourcing responsibly.

Sedex is a global membership organisation dedicated to driving improvements in responsible business practices in global supply chains.

Sedex strictly monitors our compliance through regular ethical audits, and we expect our suppliers to keep up-to-date audit information available at all times.

Sedex operates one of the world’s largest collaborative platforms for buyers and suppliers to store, share and report on ethical information about their business and identify risk in supply chains. The platform is used by more than 50,000 members in over 150 countries to manage performance around labour rights, health & safety, the environment and business ethics.

More information can be found at www.sedexglobal.com.

Employment and Ethical Trade Initiative Code

All our partner factories must meet specified employment guidelines and treat their employees with respect within a safe and healthy work environment. For any non-compliances specifically relating to ETI codes identified in an audit, corrective actions must be taken within appropriate timescales to ensure they do not re-occur.

The Code specifies that:

  • Employment is freely chosen
  • Freedom of association and right to collective bargaining are respected
  • Working conditions are safe and hygienic
  • Child labour shall not be used
  • Living wages are paid
  • Working hours are not excessive
  • No discrimination is practiced
  • Regular employment is provided
  • No harsh or inhumane treatment is allowed

More information on the Ethical Trading Initiative can be found at www.ethicaltrade.org.


Modern Slavery Act Statement

As a responsible and ethical business, we have strict trading policies and a zero-tolerance approach to all types of slavery and human trafficking within our business, and wider supply chains.

Modern slavery is an umbrella term that includes forced labour, debt bondage, servitude and trafficking for the purposes of labour exploitation.

Integral to our business is the empowerment of sustainable and ethical supply chains and we work closely with suppliers to ensure that they deliver and meet ethical policies and business practices.

Our trade customers, specifiers and end users need to be confident that Imperial Bricks products are made ethically to the highest standards, and that those who make our bricks are treated fairly, with respect for their human rights and that they’re not exposed to unsafe working conditions.

I hereby acknowledge that, although Imperial Bricks is not required to produce a Statement of Compliance for the UK Modern Slavery Act 2015 as turnover is below £36 million, we take pro-active steps to evaluate and assess our supply chain to promote compliance with the Act.

Further details of this are outlined in our Ethical Trading Policy.

Further information on the UK Modern Slavery Act 2015 can be found at www.gov.uk/government/collections/modern-slavery-bill.


Commitment To The Environment

Our environmental impact is controlled at every stage of production to ensure our products are helping to build a more sustainable supply chain.

With carefully controlled use of natural resources, reuse of manufacturing waste products and the recycling of products such as glass from outside the process, we’re doing everything we can to minimise the effect of our production on the environment.

Raw Materials

All of our clay is extracted from licensed clay fields and from construction waste wherever possible.

Recycling Waste Products

We ensure any bricks damaged during manufacture or deemed to be of inferior quality are recycled back into production and that the water used to prepare our clay suspensions is recycled rather than wasted wherever possible.

Recycling Other’s Waste

Working closely with suppliers, we continuously strive to develop new ways of incorporating materials such as recycled glass, paper and other waste materials into manufacturing processes, ensuring that less of the planet’s non-renewable resources are consumed and more of what would normally be thrown away is put to good use, without compromising the quality of our products.