Stowmarket: ‘Ethical’ accolade for maltings business Muntons

Muntons staff at launch of its Centre for Excellence.; L-R Stuart Campbell, Steve Brown, Alan Ridealgh, Vanessa Fowler, Jonathan Pritchard, Andrew Fuller, Graham Sutton; (Image: Archant)

Stowmarket-based Muntons was invited to become part of the pilot Suppliers Ethical Data Exchange (SEDEX) scheme by Carlsberg, one of its major brewing customers.

The SMETA (SEDEX Members Ethical Audit) audit involved having its performance measured and tested independently. The audit looked at labour standards, health and safety, environment and business practice.

Muntons says it was highly praised by the auditor. It was selected to be audited because of its well-established sustainability reputation within the malting trade, it added.

Manufacturing and technical director Dr Nigel Davies said: “Passing this audit underlines Muntons continued commitment to sustainable manufacturing and strengthens our business credibility. Already customers within our supply chain are indicating that without a SMETA certification they may wish to delist companies as suppliers within the next three years.

During the three-day intensive audit, which took place at the Muntons site in Stowmarket, nearly 20% of the workforce was interviewed to determine if the ethical standards Muntons has put in place were understood and working for the benefit of all employees.

There was also an in depth verification of a variety of personnel documentation such as proof of staff identity and eligibility to work, analysis of pay rates, monitoring of overtime, health, safety and environmental practices. Good governance was assessed by examination of policies on bribery, whistle blowing, staff facilities and communication of sustainability and ethics inside and outside the company.