Letter to the UK Prime Minister on the need for a Business, Human Rights, and Environment Act

Anti-Slavery International, Friends of the Earth, Labour Behind the Label, Corporate Justice Coalition, Transform Trade, Freedom United and Ekō delivered our joint petition of over 145,000 signatures on behalf of over 40 civil society organisations and unions calling for the introduction of a Business, Human Rights and Environment Act.

The outdated Modern Slavery Act is entirely ineffective in driving corporate change to address modern slavery in UK supply chains. Section 17 of the Environment Act on due diligence for forest-risk commodities is weak, being narrowly
focused only on illegal deforestation and failing to meet international environmental standards. Without long overdue secondary legislation, Schedule 17 remains unenforceable.

We now urgently need a comprehensive due diligence law to prevent the UK becoming a dumping ground for goods made with human rights abuses and environmental harms, and a safe haven for companies unwilling to comply with stronger laws in other countries. The time to act is now.