Earp Bros Products Awarded Ethical Status with Global GreenTag Modern Slavery Transparency Declarations

MEDIA RELEASE: Global GreenTag International announces the first Global GreenTagCertTM Modern Slavery Transparency Declaration™ awarded to products by Earp Bros.

The Global GreenTag International Modern Slavery Transparency Declaration™ (GGTI MSD™) delivers the world's first MSD for Products and Australian company, Earp Bros has become the first company in Australia to achieve this detailed level of ethically responsible reporting and declaration at a product level.

Fundamentally, Earp Bros decision to submit their products to the GGTI MSD is intended to help buyers and especially professional procurement teams with the right information to choose ethically, wisely and critically to help eradicate Modern Slavery practices occurring in global supply chains, which impact the health, wellness and human rights of millions of vulnerable people, annually. As well as respond to the changes in legislation, concerned with Modern Slavery that are bearing down on businesses.

As the statutory review into the operations of the Australia's Modern Slavery Act revealed: 'modern slavery reporting is not being taken seriously enough.' The targets now for legislative change are:

● Improving the standard of modern slavery reporting
● Enforcing the reporting obligations of entities
● Addressing the large percentage of incompatible Modern Slavery Statements.

Earp Bros, responding to this humanitarian problem of Modern Slavery, has successfully achieved an exemplary status towards helping to eradicate it, through a GGTI MSD assessment of their Porcelanosa Floor Tiles Range and Porcelanosa Wall Tiles Range. The MSD declarations closely detail how Earp Bros have made ethical sourcing and manufacturing decisions during the production of these product ranges. The decision to be transparent and to uncover what was happening in their supply chains, Earp Bros said, was integral to the values and priorities of the company.

Speaking for Earp Bros, Joshua Earp, Operations Director:

"When Global GreenTag approached us to become the first Manufacturer to take up the Modern Slavery Declaration, we were humbled, but also felt a sense of responsibility. Being transparent across all areas of our operations ensures our customers, manufacturing partners and team members can be confident in the ethical approach we take to business. We would challenge all suppliers to join us on this journey to help end Modern Slavery."

Congratulating Earp Bros, Dr Nana Bortsie-Aryee, Program Director of the Global GreenTagCertTM Product Certification program said:

"Companies like Earp Bros are ahead of the game. They are providing third party assessed data for other companies to use in their own reporting and Modern Slavery Statements, which are increasingly becoming mandated under government legislations for companies at certain income thresholds.

"It's not a matter of if product manufacturers will be impacted down the line by this movement against Modern Slavery, it is a matter of when they will start to feel it and expected to be transparent about their supply chains but also provide documentation to this end that is verified and trusted."

View Earp Bros MSD Report

At a corporate and social responsibility level, the GGTI MSD is designed to assist companies to be proactive and prepare the right level of documentation, to be transparent and share critical information towards the larger mission of minimising practices of Modern Slavery in their own supply chains.

The GGTI MSD serves as a tool to conduct comprehensive risk assessment, verification and ranking processes on all issues of Modern Slavery, which include, Deceptive Recruiting, Trafficking, Servitude, Forced Labour, Forced Marriage, Debt Bondage, Worst Forms of Child Labour, Discrimination, Equal Renumeration, Free Association and Collective Bargaining.

More information about the Global GreenTag International MSD program can be found here: HERE

For further information or to interview Dr Nana Bortsie-Aryee, please contact, Debra Robertson via

For further information on Earp Bros, please contact Jenni Pentz – Sales & Marketing Manager via

MORE ABOUT EARP BROS

As an importer operating in the Australian market for 140 years, Earp Bros is conscious of the practices of manufacturers and chooses to import tile products from ecologically responsible companies. Earp Bros supply chain is committed to international best practice in sustainable manufacturing.

Earp Bros support the low impact life cycle of tiles in building projects and aim to enhance the offering in Australia by partnering with responsible companies off-shore.

To lessen logistical impacts, Earp Bros have located its warehousing facilities to make use of rail rather than road. The company facilitates the recycling of waste materials, including tiles which are re-used in road base materials.
Earp Bros are committed to product testing to ensure that materials are used to their potential and to maximise the sustainability of a project's life cycle.
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MORE ABOUT GLOBAL GREENTAG INTERNATIONAL

Global GreenTag™ International Pty Ltd assesses products for all aspects of impacts on human health, ethical labour supply and the environment. The company was established in 2010 as a third party verified Conformance Conformity Assessment Body that conducts the award winning Global GreenTagCert™ certification program, and a third party, multi-criteria, consensus based and externally verified Type 1 Ecolabelling Program that complies and operates under strict International Standards.

Global GreenTag websites and all marketing collateral for every product certified by Global GreenTag are verified as 'fit for purpose' and compliant with ISO 14021. What's more, Global GreenTag's governance and its own external verification and certification is set against standards such as ISO 14024 (Ecolabelling), ISO 17065 (Conformance Assessment) and ISO 9001 (Quality Management) among others.

Voted one of the Top 100 Most Trusted Brands in Australia for 3 years running, Global GreenTag currently has more than 16,000 products in certification by over 230 manufacturers with factories in more than 20 countries. Global GreenTag™ certified products are determined as healthy for use using the best science available, with the results being peer reviewed by highly qualified, external consultant Toxicologists.