About us Investors Join us Media Contact us Search 中文 Home About us Responsible business We are focused on supporting our community and having a positive impact on our people, and the customers we serve. We are focused on supporting our community and having a positive impact on our people, and the customers we serve. Ascential is passionate about education and helping young people to get a better start in life. That’s why we’re a Gold Patron of The Prince’s Trust, having raised over £1,600,000 for the charity in the past eight years. We have an active and impactful relationship with The Prince’s Trust – along with sponsoring the UK and Ireland Million Makers Challenge and significant fundraising support, we also sponsor the Educational Achiever of the Year Award on an annual basis. In the video above you can find out about our 2018 winner. Jaidah Thomas received three months full paid work experience with LIONS, including two weeks on site at the Cannes Lions festival in June 2018. Watch the video to learn more about Jaidah’s story, and the impact of The Prince’s Trust on her journey. Supporting our charity partners In 2020, our Million Makers fundraising group Team Ascend raised £212,000 entirely virtually, and subsequently came second in The Prince’s Trust Million Makers competition. Our charitable support was not limited to fundraising, in addition we supported the following activities: Ascential x The Prince’s Trust & Goals For Girls Flywheel: Supporting their community WGSN x Just Like Us Volunteering Day: A global initiative Promoting equality Ascential is passionate about promoting equality across our industry and beyond. Learn more about the work we’re doing to drive diversity and equality below. Ascential’s Diversity and Inclusion vision & commitments Diversity and Inclusion governance and reporting Supporting our industries Sustainability We’re committed to making better choices that will help us contribute to a greener world. Learn more about the changes we’re making below. Cannes Lions: Lions for Good Operating sustainable events WGSN: Sustainability Forum Environmental management Operating responsibly Our suppliers, partners and other third parties involved in the provision of goods or services are important to us. They underpin our ability to serve our customers and while delivering our valued and trusted products it is important to us that we and our suppliers do business responsibly, ethically and lawfully. Third party code of conduct We have implemented a Third Party Code of Conduct which outlines our ethical approach to doing business and explains the standards we strive to ensure that all our suppliers should abide by, and we also expect our suppliers’ suppliers to adhere to it. The main principles of this Code are: No forced, involuntary or child labour Freedom of association Diversity and equality Business integrity Fair competition Intellectual property, privacy and data security Business continuity Quality, health, safety and environment The Ascential Code The Ascential Code is the overview of our key compliance commitments, which sets out our expectations in terms of ethical and lawful conduct for our people, and our external partners. It serves as an essential guide, setting out our standards and expectations as a business, and signposting the people who are available to help should questions arise. You can view The Ascential Code here: English | Simplified Chinese | Brazilian Portuguese Modern Slavery Ascential recognises that slavery, forced labour and human trafficking (modern slavery) is a global issue. One that Ascential understands affects innocent lives. Ascential has a zero tolerance approach to modern slavery of any kind and has taken steps to eliminate it from its supply chain. Through this work, we have found support from customers, suppliers and Ascential employees to this zero tolerance approach. The Ascential community has no tolerance for modern slavery and has pledged to raise awareness and take steps to source suppliers responsibly. You can view our full Modern Slavery statement here. Anti-corruption We have a formal anti-corruption policy which is communicated to all employees that prohibits offering, promising or giving a bribe; requesting, agreeing to receive, or accepting a bribe; and bribing a foreign public official to obtain or retain business or a business-related advantage. The policy includes details of how employees can report any suspected violations of the policy confidentially to the Ethics Helpline, Protect, and assurances that concerns raised in good faith will not be criticised or penalised in any way. The Board has appointed the Audit Committee to review the implementation of this policy and the Audit Committee periodically monitors and audits compliance. There were no reported breaches of the Bribery Act during 2020. We also require our suppliers to adopt a zero tolerance approach to bribery and corruption through our Third Party Code of Conduct. Whistleblowing policy We have a formal whistleblowing policy which encourages all staff to report suspected wrongdoing, in the knowledge that their concerns will be taken seriously and investigated appropriately, and that their confidentiality will be respected. Wrongdoing includes failure to comply with legal obligations or regulations, including bribery and corruption. The policy also aims to reassure staff that they should be able to raise genuine concerns without fear of reprisals, even if they turn out to be mistaken. We provide details of a confidential helpline operated by an independent third party, as well as contact details for the Independent Chairman of the Audit Committee within the policy. Greenhouse gas emissions Full details of our direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions are set out in the Directors’ Report on page 67. About us Investors Join us Media Contact us Register Register for email alerts Subscribe for latest updates on reports, news and more Connect with us Ascential plc, The Prow, 1 Wilder Walk, London, W1B 5AP, UK Copyright © 2021 Ascential Terms & conditions Accessibility Privacy policy Cookies policy Email alerts Modern slavery statement By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. For more detailed information about the cookies we use, see our Cookies Policy Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies