Marks & Spencers, Sainsbury’s and Unilever are among a handful of FTSE 100 companies taking meaningful action to eradicate slavery from their supply chains, according to a report from Business & Human Rights Resource Centre (BHRRC).
While these companies are incorporating modern slavery into risk assessments, staff training and sourcing decisions, few businesses have taken the action that the UK’s Modern Slavery Act is designed to encourage. Indeed, 43 of the top 100 listed companies were assessed as having failed to meet even the minimum requirements of the Act.
Phil Bloomer, Executive Director for BHRRC said: “It’s disappointing that after the first full year of reporting under the Act, so many of the FTSE 100 companies are still taking a ‘tick box’ approach. Those that are leading the way prove there has been enough time to act decisively to eliminate slavery from their operations and supply chains. “This issue is rightly a priority for the UK government, with investors taking note and other countries like Australia, France and the Netherlands introducing similar legislation. The FTSE 100 have the reach and influence to play a pivotal role in eradicating modern slavery, but the welcome leadership of a few will not compensate for the poor performance of the majority.”
According to the BHRRC, a charity, failure to take action on slavery is becoming ever-more risky for businesses. There were 51 new prosecutions under the Act in 2016, compared to 12 in 2015. You can download the briefing document at the BHRRC website.
Separately, during a House of Commons debate on modern slavery, the Home Office Minister for Crime, Safeguarding and Vulnerability, Sarah Newton spoke of reforms to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM). Some 3,804 people were NRM-referred in 2016 compared to 714 in 2010. She said: “Modern slavery is a barbaric crime which destroys the lives of some of the most vulnerable in our society. This government has taken world-leading action to tackle this abhorrent crime, and we have been clear that the welfare victims and potential victims is at the heart of everything we do.”
