RJC ANNUAL REPORT
Description of the Company
Ortak Ltd is a jewellery manufacturing company based in Orkney, Scotland. We
manufacture our jewellery in Orkney and sell both to wholesale and our own shops within the UK.
Ortak Ltd are fully committed to complying with all applicable national and
international laws, regulations and conventions, as well as best practices in ethics, human rights and social responsibility.
Ortak Ltd is committed to acting with integrity in all its business actions and to
promoting ethical conduct, enforcing compliance with applicable laws and providing guidance in the management of its business.
Ortak Ltd has adopted several key policies in support of this commitment, defining what Ortak expects of its employees, internal operations and external suppliers.
Ortak is a member of the RJC Council for Responsible Jewellery Practices. We are committed to completing the certification process. This certification is intended to provide customers with the assurance that our production chain is managed responsibly.
Ortak Ltd works with business partners and suppliers who agree to abide by the requirements of our Supplier Code of Conduct as well as the principles set out in the International Labour Organisation conventions, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the United Nations Global Compact, the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises and the United Nations Women's Empowerment Principles.
Ortak Ltd is committed to implementing the five-step process of the OECD Due
Diligence Guidance for Responsible Mineral Supply Chains from Conflict and High Risk Areas. In addition, Ortak is committed to implementing the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights as well as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
With this statement, Ortak Ltd wishes to highlight the policies, risk assessment, risk assessment management system and grievance mechanism, which aim to prevent or mitigate negative consequences related to our procurement practices.
Organisational Structure
Ortak Ltd.’s supply chain only includes suppliers and business partners that are
RJC certified to meet our values.
Policies
Ortak Ltd requires its suppliers to comply with the ethical principles set out in its
Supplier Code of Conduct and to ensure that their own suppliers and subcontractors comply with these principles.
This Supplier Code of Conduct specifically specifies the obligation to respect social issues and to respect and adhere to moral and ethical values in the management of the company with regard to human rights, working conditions and environmental issues.
Ortak Ltd is aware of the potential social consequences of its activities, particularly in relation to the sourcing of raw materials. For this reason, the company has defined a responsible approach to sourcing and policies to operate ethically and with respect for human rights.
Ortak Ltd confirms its commitment to act responsibly and to work with trusted
suppliers based in countries that are signatories to the Kimberley Process, an
initiative bringing together governments, industry and civil society and aiming to
prevent the circulation of conflict diamonds through an international certification
system.
Since 2019, Ortak Ltd has been a member of the Responsible Jewellery Council and is currently completing the certification process to ensure certification of the RJC Code of Practice. The Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC) is a non-profit organisation established to promote a common standard for responsible ethical, social and environmental practices that respect human rights throughout the supply chain of gold, platinum mined metals, diamonds and coloured stones from mining to retail.
Ortak Ltd is committed to strengthening systems and controls for the respect of
human rights throughout the supply chain. Therefore, Ortak Ltd.’s Supply Chain
Department and Management Committee regularly assess the adequacy of the
procedural framework and identify opportunities for continuous improvement.
Supply Chain Risk Assessment
The principles promoted by the Responsible Jewellery Council, Ortak Ltd monitors social and human rights risks throughout the supply chain.
To this end, Ortak Ltd has implemented a supplier risk management process,
consisting of the following three steps:
1) supplier risk assessment ;
2) social and environmental monitoring of suppliers
3) monitoring.
Suppliers included in the risk assessment were sent a CSR self-assessment
questionnaire covering, among other things, the following topics: forced and child labour, freedom of association, discrimination, disciplinary and complaint
procedures, working hours, wages and general working conditions.
Through supplier responses to the questionnaire and knowledge of supplier
activities, Ortak Ltd has identified potential risks. As of June 2022, no particular
risks have been highlighted.
Training and Awareness
All Ortak Ltd employees have been trained in ethics and compliance.
Ortak Ltd promotes a culture of dialogue and transparency and has adopted an
internal alert system, via an email address: ethics@ortak.co.uk dedicated to
employees.
The system allows employees to report in a secure and totally confidential manner any actual or potential violation of internal guidelines and procedures, ethical principles and applicable laws and regulations.
Michael Gardens Alison Firth
Managing Director Director