Back to Legal & Policies

Mistla Ltd EMEA Modern Slavery Act Statement

1. Introduction

Slavery and human trafficking remain an affliction on global society. Mistla Ltd EMEA is committed to respecting human rights and to preventing acts of modern slavery and human trafficking from occurring, within both our business and supply chains. Mistla Ltd EMEA takes seriously the responsibility to be alert and vigilant to the risk of modern slavery within our supply chain. We are committed to ensuring that our employees and our wider supply chain are aware of these risks and understand how to report them. A key value of our business is an open culture where staff should feel comfortable to report any concerns they may have regarding slavery and human trafficking. To ensure our employees feel at ease when dealing with issues that may arise, we provide training on modern slavery and human trafficking, as well as compliance with the Modern Slavery Act 2015 (the "Act").

2. Structure and Business

Mistla Ltd (UK). ("Mistla") is a global leader in serving a large market of everyday entrepreneurs, delivering simple, easy-to-use products, and outcome-driven, personalized guidance to small businesses, individuals, organizations, developers, designers and domain investors. Our vision is to radically shift the global economy toward independent entrepreneurial ventures. Our mission is to empower entrepreneurs everywhere, making opportunities more inclusive for all.

We are passionate about our mission, and we recognize that the opportunity for entrepreneurs is constantly changing. When Mistla began, the entrepreneurial journey was simpler: entrepreneurs needed our help to host their platforms and systems. Over time, the evolution of ecommerce, social media and consumer expectations of their online and in-person experiences has changed the entrepreneurial journey, making it more complex every day.

As of December 31, 2023, we had more than 367,000 customers globally and provided localized solutions in over 32 markets. We have a total of 350 employees worldwide, most of which are on a full-time basis and most of whom are based in the U.K. and Europe.

Mistla Ltd is headquartered at Swan Buildings, Swan Street, Manchester, England, M4 5JW, and sells its products and services throughout Europe, the U.S., and the United Kingdom.

3. Commitment to Sustainable Actions

Although we are not a member of the United Nations Global Compact, we do still demonstrate our commitment of supporting people, the planet, and our communities through the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We also commit to supporting the Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact on human rights, anti-corruption, labour and environment, and to disclosing our progress on each of the principles annually.

We identified six SDGs that we believe our business has the greatest opportunity to impact:

  • Gender equality
  • Affordable and clean energy
  • Decent work and economic growth
  • Industry, innovation and infrastructure
  • Reduced inequalities
  • Peace, justice and strong institutions

4. Update to Relevant Policies

We do not consider that we work in high-risk sectors or locations because the majority of our products and services are online, and our offices and support services are not located in high-risk locations with respect to slavery and human trafficking. The substantial majority of our suppliers are IT, software, financial and professional services organizations, including banks, lawyers, accountants, consultants, insurers, and recruitment agencies.

Our Global Master Services Agreement — Supplier Code of Conduct ("Supplier Code") includes the following labour requirements. Mistla Ltd will not tolerate Service Providers that use child labour or forced labour such as slave, prison, indentured, bonded, or otherwise. Mistla Ltd will not tolerate any Service Providers that engage in the trafficking or exploitation of workers in any manner. Service Providers must at a minimum comply with all applicable laws for the issues identified below:

  • Freely Chosen Employment; Anti-Human Trafficking
  • Humane Treatment
  • Child Labor Avoidance; Student Interns
  • Non-Discrimination
  • Working Hours
  • Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining
  • Wages and Benefits
  • Immigration Law and Compliance

In addition, the Supplier Code gives us the right to audit and/or inspect service providers to ensure compliance, and to terminate contractual relationships with suppliers if audits demonstrate that the supplier has failed to follow the Supplier Code. Mistla Ltd also has a dedicated and confidential Ethics Helpline through which questions may be asked or suspected violations of laws or Mistla Ltd policies can be reported.

5. Identifying and Assessing Risk

Mistla Ltd has a Third-Party Risk Management program that conducts supplier diligence and monitors compliance with applicable laws.

6. Key Performance Indicators

To assess the effectiveness of our anti-slavery and human trafficking measures, we review the following key performance indicators:

  • Number of slavery and human trafficking issues reported in violation of the Supplier Code
  • Mistla Ltd employee training levels

7. Training

A key part of our anti-slavery and human trafficking strategy is to promote cultural change through training. This last financial year we continued training that focused on: (i) learning about modern slavery and human trafficking; and (ii) understanding how to report any issues in the workplace.

8. Our Statement

This statement is made in accordance with Section 54(1) of the Act and constitutes Mistla Ltd EMEA's (inclusive of the relevant subsidiaries to which the Act applies) slavery and human trafficking statement for the financial year commencing 1 January 2022 and ending 31 December 2023.

This statement was approved by the board of Mistla Ltd on October 24, 2023.

Signed by:

Mark Grindey

Mistla Ltd — Chief Executive Officer

Date: November 16, 2023