The Home Office have published updated statutory guidance for businesses on how to tackle modern slavery in supply chains and how to report this transparently in modern slavery statements.
Under Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, businesses who operate in the UK and have a turnover of £36 million or more must report annually on the steps they have taken to tackle modern slavery in their operations and global supply chains.
Businesses must ensure their statement has been approved by the Board, signed by a director and is available via the homepage of their website. They should publish the statement within 6 months of their financial year end.
The purpose of these ‘transparency in supply chains’ provisions is to allow scrutiny by consumers, investors, and civil society. To further enhance transparency, in March 2021 the UK Government launched the modern slavery statement registry to bring modern slavery statements together on a single platform.
The new guidance was developed with support from the Forced Labour Forum, a diverse group of stakeholders from business, civil society, academia and trade unions. The revised guidance focusses on practical steps that businesses can take to prevent, identify and respond effectively to modern slavery in supply chains.
All organisations publishing modern slavery statements are advised to review the new guidance, which can be found by selecting the following link: Slavery and human trafficking in supply chains: guidance for businesses - GOV.UK