Corporate and Social Responsibility
FRASER HART IS A LARGE COMPANY, WITH OVER 450 EMPLOYEES OPERATING THE LENGTH AND BREADTH OF THE UK. AS SUCH WE ARE A MAJOR CONTRIBUTOR TO THE UK ECONOMY. WE ARE VERY AWARE THAT OUR RESPONSIBILITIES EXTEND BEYOND THE TRANSACTIONAL.
Our vision is “To be at the heart of every celebration” and our values - the behaviours we exhibit at all times - help us achieve that vision. Our principles and ethics for doing business are in accordance with our vision, values and goals.
Our approach to Corporate and Social Responsibility (CSR) can be broken down into a number of areas:
The marketplace
Our environmental responsibilities
Our workplaces
Our responsibilities to the community
THE MARKETPLACE
Our reputation in the marketplace is hard-earned and very important to us. We will not allow it to be compromised for short-term gain.
We believe in an ethical supply chain:
We do not purchase from unapproved distributors and will not knowingly supply goods that are produced in inhuman factory conditions.
We have particular responsibilities when it comes the sourcing of gold and diamonds. Fraser Hart explicitly stipulates to our suppliers that they must use all available means to source their product ethically.
Ukraine Crisis
At Fraser Hart we have all been deeply shocked and appalled by the terrible events occurring in Ukraine. We do not source any of our products directly from Russia, and we have been working with our partners to reduce or eliminate Russian-sourced raw materials from our supply chain. Taking account of advice from a number of relief agencies, Fraser Hart are fundraising through March and April for the Red Cross and in addition to our own contribution, will match staff and customer donations. Customers can donate at tills in any of our stores. We hope that our efforts will, in some small way, provide solidarity and support to the people in Ukraine.
Diamonds:
We subscribe to the Kimberley Process www.kimberleyprocess.com (KP) which is a joint initiative between governments, industry and society to restrict the flow of conflict diamonds used to finance wars against legitimate governments.
It uses traceability systems to ensure that rough diamonds are shipped via tamper-proof methods and are government-certified as conflict-free. Shipments that lack certification will be rejected or impounded. The diamonds are further certified as compliant as they continue their journey to market.
We insist that all our diamond and diamond jewellery suppliers have signed up to the Kimberley process and make a statement to this effect on their supply documentation.
We in turn warrant that all diamonds we sell come from suppliers that adhere to the Kimberley Process.
Fraser Hart was an early supporter of the "Unearth Justice" campaign, which is run by the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD). This initiative has the support of many leading retailers and has developed a code of ethics called “The Golden Rules”. The Golden Rules call on mining companies to meet the following basic standards in their operation:
Respect for basic human rights outlines in international conventions and law
Free, prior and informed consent of affected communities
Safe working conditions
Respect for workers’ rights and labour standards (including the eight core ILO conventions)
Ensure that operations are not located in areas of armed or militarised conflicts
Ensure that projects do not force communities off their lands
No dumping of mine waste into the ocean, river, lakes or streams
Ensure that projects are not located in protected areas, fragile ecosystems or other areas of high conservation or ecological value
Ensure that projects do not generate sulphuric acid in perpetuity
Cover all costs of closing down and cleaning up mine sites
Fully disclose information about social environmental effects on projects
Allow independent verification of the above
The above guiding principles would ensure that basic human rights, that we possibly take for granted, are upheld whilst also ensuring that our environment is protected.
We fully support the aims behind the CAFOD campaign and we ask our suppliers to confirm their awareness and ultimate compliance with this code.
OUR ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITIES
At Fraser Hart we appreciate and understand our environmental responsibilities. As well as managing managing our own environmental footprint and meeting the environmental legislation that relates to Fraser Hart, we aspire to being industry defining in this area.
Our current initiatives include:
Working with our suppliers to develop energy efficient lighting systems
Ensuring energy efficiency is a key aspect of all our store refurbishments and builds
All timber products used in our new stores and refits are FSC sourced
As we recycle our fleet, ensuring that we select cars that reduce our carbon footprint
As a responsible retailer, Fraser Hart Ltd is committed to reducing our environmental impact and complies to the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE Regulations). Please read further details here.
OUR WORKPLACES
The workplace – be it in our stores, in our offices – is the engine room of Fraser Hart.
We are committed to making our workplaces industry defining. Our relationship with each other and our employees is governed by our adherence to our vision and values.
EMPLOYEE REWARDS:
We reward performance that meets our vision, values and goals
We do not discount salaries or rewards on the basis of age
DIVERSITY IN THE WORKPLACE:
Our recruitment policies ensure that we do not discriminate on social, ethnic, gender, religious or other grounds.
HEALTH AND SAFETY:
The health, safety and welfare at work of our employees is very important to us and we demonstrate this through compliance with health and safety standards set out in the relevant legislation.
OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO THE COMMUNITY
Community support is an important aspect of the Fraser Hart business. The communities that we serve are also the communities where we live, and the communities that support us.
It is our aspiration to use our skills and resources to benefit the communities where we live, work and do business. Because we are a nationwide organisation, our efforts will need to be structured, yet diverse and flexible. Consequently we focus our efforts on several general areas with a view to ensuring local emphasis.
To this end, we will base our community support on our employees’ initiatives, rather than responding to direct requests for financial support. We will support our employees' giving through a gift contribution program. Employees may apply for a grant to qualifying charities, to support their own donation.
As noted above, we support the work of CAFOD, the official Catholic aid agency for England and Wales. CAFOD operates in more than 40 countries across the world bringing hope, compassion and solidarity to poor communities and working to end poverty and injustice. We do not donate to political parties.