Following the UK government’s announcement of a new Modern Slavery Bill which aims to reduce the prevalance of modern slavery in supply chains, we, along with allies outlined the principles for strengthening measures on supply chains with this Bill.
There is huge potential for action by businesses to reduce modern slavery around the world. The Transparency in Supply Chains provision of the UK’s Modern Slavery Act 2015 led the world in addressing modern slavery in company supply chains. However, non-compliance and poor quality reporting has limited its effectiveness and it has become evident that additional legal approaches beyond reporting are necessary. The forthcoming bill is an opportunity to strengthen our legislation and give the UK the tools needed to prevent goods produced through forced labour entering UK supply chains.