Corporate Social Responsibility Policy

1. Our Principles
2. Compliance, Monitoring and Reporting
3. Code of Business Ethics
4. Other Relevant Brand Addition Policies
5. Contact Name and Number

1. Our Principles

   Brand Addition seeks to be a good corporate citizen in everything it does. We recognise that our social, economic and environmental responsibilities are integral to our business values and operations to meet the expectations of our stakeholders. They include our shareholders, customers, employees, suppliers, the community and the environment. We aim to demonstrate these responsibilities through our actions and within our policies.

   Compliance, Monitoring and Reporting

   Compliance with this policy will be continuously monitored and subject to review by the Brand Addition Management Team. Each local manager is responsible for ensuring that the principles set out in this policy are communicated to, understood and observed by all employees and for ensuring compliance in their areas.

2. Code of Business Ethics

   This code applies to all of Brand Addition and sets out the minimum standards which we expect from our staff in their internal and external dealings with colleagues, customers, stakeholders and third parties.

   1. Basic Standards of Conduct

      1. We will conduct every aspect of our business with honest, integrity and openness, respecting human rights and the interests of our employees, customers and third parties.
      2. We will respect the legitimate interests of third parties which whom we have dealings in the course of our business
      3. We will maintain the highest standards of integrity – for example, we will not promise more than we can deliver or make commitments we cannot or do not intend to keep.

   2. Employees

      1. We are committed to creating and maintaining a safe and healthy working environment for our employees
      2. We are committed to providing a good and harmonious working environment that offers equal treatment and equal opportunities for all employees, and where every employee is treated with respect and dignity. We will respect the individual and each other’s rights, customs and traditions
      3. We will maintain the highest standards of integrity – for example, we will not promise more than we can deliver or make commitments we cannot or do not intend to keep.
      4. We will work towards achieving a diverse workforce, recruiting, employing and promoting employees only on the basis of objective criteria and the qualifications and abilities needed for the job to be performed
      5. We will maintain good communications with employees through our communication network (information and consultation procedures)

   3. Customers

      Brand Addition is committed to providing safe, value for money, high quality, consistent and reliable services to our customers.

   4. Shareholders

      We will conduct our operations in accordance with the principles of good corporate governance. We will provide timely, regular and reliable information on the business to our shareholders.

   5. Business Partners and Stakeholders

      We aim to develop strong relationships with our suppliers, stakeholders and others with whom we have dealings, based on mutual trust, understanding and respect. In those dealings, we expect our partners to adhere to business principles consistent with our own.

   6. Compliance with Law

      Brand Addition will comply with the laws and regulations applicable wherever we do business.

   7. The Environment

      We are committed to making continuous improvement in the management of our environmental impact as outlined in our Environmental Policy. It is the policy of Brand Addition to:-

      1. Conform to current legislation and Industry Codes of Practice and actively buy in to the work and policies of the Environmental Agencies by implementing any improvements.
      2. Review and address, where appropriate, the concerns of all interested parties and where practicable, minimise the impact of our activities on the local and general environment
      3. Ensure that all Brand Addition personnel, along with its business partners, continually strive to improve environmental performance and prevent pollution
      4. To provide a framework, via Management Review, to set environmental objectives and targets.
      5. Communicate and make available this policy to all employees and personnel working on behalf of Brand Addition.
      6. Our goals to achieving this policy will be fulfilled by: -
         • Developing systems that are designed, where possible, to preventing accidental environmentally damaging effects.
         • Ensuring, where practicable, all waste generated is recycled or disposed of responsibly.
         • Minimise the usage of solvents that may cause emissions from our site thus limiting the effect on our neighbours and the environment.
         • Ensuring all staff is aware of their responsibility to protecting the environment and empowering them to set and achieve environmental targets.
         • Ensuring all suppliers and sub-contractors are aware of our position with regard to the environment and encouraging them to implement similar policies.

   8. Quality Statement

      Our goal is to strengthen and grow our position as the UK market leader in the supply of promotional merchandise.

      Our philosophy is one of continuous performance improvement, through anticipating, identifying and meeting or exceeding the needs of our external customers. This will be achieved by documenting, implementing and utilising an effective and efficient Quality Management System that complies with BS EN ISO9001:2000.

      The policies written in this Quality Manual have been translated into working procedures to achieve operational consistency and maximum understanding, by all employees, of best working practices.

      Brand Addition’s policy is to consistently supply product of the quality required, on time and without defects whilst optimising value for money for its customers. This will be achieved by constantly reviewing our processes, products and services offered by Brand Addition to its customers.

      The scope for approval of this Quality Management System includes the design and development of promotional product ranges, sourcing, stocking and supply to specification (including branding), of products for sales promotional activities. Our prime objectives and their targets are defined, each year, at the annual management review.

   9. Ethical Trading Policy

      We purchase a wide range of goods and services required in the operation of our business and we also rely heavily on a number of key suppliers for the delivery of our core services. Good working relationships with our suppliers are therefore central to the success of our business. For this reason we clearly state in our Terms and Conditions Contract as part of ensuring that out business standards are integrated throughout the supply chain.

      We are committed to obtaining and retaining competitive goods and services while at the same time ensuring they are from sources which have not jeopardized human rights, safety or the environment, as detailed in our Vendor Audit Document.

      We aim to develop strong relationships with our suppliers, based on mutual trust, understanding and respect. More specifically we expect our suppliers to:

      1. Adhere to business principles consistent with our own
      2. Ensure that their products and services are produced and delivered to comply with all legislation relevant to their business.
      3. Seek to maintain continuous improvement in their supply chain relationship with us.
      4. Ensure they adopt and implement acceptable safety, environmental, product quality, labour, human rights, social and legal standards in line with the standards set out in the UN Global Compact and to ensure these issues are acceptably managed within the supply change for any products supplied to us.
      5. We will seek to work with our key suppliers to:
         • Develop long term meaningful relations to the benefit of both parties
         • Improve the quality, environmental performance and sustainability of goods and services where this can be achieved to the benefit of both parties.

   10. Community Involvement

       Our relationship with the local communities in which we operate is very important to us and we strive to be a good corporate citizen and to fulfill our responsibilities. Through our community strategy, we seek to play out part in encouraging the young, the disadvantaged and helping older members of the community. We also positively support employees who volunteer their services, for example, in the TA/Reserves, Magistrates and other well known interests/organizations recognized by the Company. Our commitment is to offer up to 5 days annual paid leave, as well as additional unpaid leave to perform their duties.

       In line with our core values, we incorporate the following elements:

       1. Partnering our customer’s initiatives to provide employment opportunities to help break the cycle of youth unemployment www.GoThinkBig.co.uk. (See 3.10.1)
       2. Offering employment opportunities to all sectors of the community through non discriminatory policies and promoting opportunities to disadvantaged groups
       3. Supporting the local communities and charities (See 3.10.2-3)
       4. Promoting engagement between our staff and the community (See 3.10.4)
       5. Improving the environment in and around our operation
       6. Supporting local initiatives for the development and education of young people

   11. GoThinkBig

       Brand Addition are working in partnership with O2 and their GoThinkBig initiative, which aims to transform the world of work experience for 14-25s. We have committed to offer a range of work experience opportunities across the business ranging from Logistics, Procurement, ICT, Design to Sales and Marketing to help support the unemployed and to assist them in securing future employment.

       We know that over 450,000 young people are unable to gain experience relevant to their chosen careers. GoThinkBig aims to tackle this through a new website – www.GoThinkBig.co.uk. - which is designed to bring work experience and skills opportunities together in one place, providing opportunities, practical advice and support to thousands of young people, and helping to break the cycle of ‘no experience, no job, no experience.’

   12. Barnardo's

       Rachel House is part of the Barnardo’s North West Homelessness project. The project provides accommodation for 16-21 year olds who have been homeless and helps them to move on to live independently. When young people move into Rachel House they must agree to engage with the support offered by staff. The purpose of this support is to enable young people to address issues in their lives, and develop independent living skills so that they can move on to more independent tenancies.

       Brand Addition sent a team of around 60 employees from across our Manchester, London, Germany and Ireland to support this project. Armed with paint brushes and rollers, this mammoth task saw us transforming all six living areas including sitting rooms, bedrooms, kitchens and hallways in one day! Our challenge involved sanding woodwork and painting walls as well as adding finishing touches to make the rooms homely. It was great to see the months of planning come to fruition. Since this time we have continued to work with Rachel House, providing warm clothing and furnishings for the flats.

   13. Children in Need

       Brand Addition has always supported Children in Need to change the lives of disadvantaged children and young people in the UK. We make donations every year from the fun and games held across the business, supported by a company contribution.

       As one of our customers we have always supported Children In Need with their initiatives across the UK, including sending teams of volunteers to assist at the Children in Need Concert in Manchester and more recently to support the ‘Pudsey Street’ initiative in Covent Garden, which was one big street party with local shops are getting involved with sales donations, celebrity buskers, celebrity bucket collectors and Pudsey branding everywhere

   14. Supporting Local Schools

       For many years we have supported our local high schools providing either ‘hands on’ work experience, career talks and assistance with interview techniques to provide them with additional ‘hands on’ knowledge and experience to be able to secure employment.

       One of the organisations we work alongside is pfeg through a professional body, ICAEW. pfeg (Personal Finance Education Group) is the UK’s leading organisation helping schools to plan and teach young people how to manage their money now and in the future. Our qualified accountant has built a relationship with a local high school, giving presentations at career talks, and leading sessions during “My Money Week” – a national activity week which provides a fantastic opportunity for young people to gain the skills, knowledge and confidence in money matters to thrive in our society. This has led to her running workshops on salaries and taxes, and a stock market challenge!

       We also support our local primary schools with a number of employees taking time away from the business to mentor young children with either their reading or maths or fulfilling the role of a school governor where we can share our knowledge and experience in Finance and Budgets, ICT and Recruitment to name a few.

   15. Donations to Charities

       Donations are made throughout the year in line with the Brand Addition Donations to Charities Policy and include annual donations to the employee nominated charity of the year and event held throughout the year which include, a Christmas Raffle and Charity Theme Days to raise funds.

       Payroll giving – In 2005 we launched a payroll giving scheme to give staff an opportunity to give to their favourite charity in a tax efficient way and had an excellent take-up amongst employees. Over 25% of employees joined the scheme giving to their favourite charity. We have been awarded with a Payroll Giving Quality Mark Silver Award for commitment to good causes in the local community, which reflects our efforts to foster a culture of committed to giving in the workplace by actively promoting our Payroll Giving Scheme. Additionally we qualified for the new government payroll giving grant of £500 which we gave back to the top 5 charities that our employees had selected.

   16. Health, Safety & Welfare

       The health, safety and welfare of our employees is our paramount concern. We are committed to a programme of activities, as outlined in our Health, Safety and Welfare Policy. Whilst compliance with legal obligations is our minimum commitment, we also seek to achieve continuous improvement in health and safety performance.

3. Other Relevant Brand Addition Policies

   • Equality and Diversity Policy
   • Family Friendly Policy and Initiatives
   • Business Ethics Policy
   • Disability Policy
   • Drugs and Alcohol Policy
   • Respect at Work Policy
   • Employee Forum
   • Communications Committee

4. Contact Name and Number

   Any comments or queries relating to this procedure should be addressed to the Human Resources department or a member of the CSR Team.

Christopher Lee

Chief Executive