How the Modern Slavery Act impacts companies and public procurement in the North West

Source: Corporate approaches to addressing modern slavery, Ashridge / ETI

The Modern Slavery Act 2015 requires large firms who have operations in the UK to report on their efforts to ensure there is no slavery, forced labour or trafficking in their business or supply chains. 

From 31 March 2016, all companies with global annual revenues of £36m or more will have to report against the transparency in supply chains requirement of the Modern Slavery Act. 

At least 17,000 companies, both those based in the UK and international firms with UK operations who meet the revenue threshold, will need to produce an annual modern slavery statement which must be approved by the board of directors, and signed by a director or equivalent. Most organisations might think they are low risk, however, a recent study by Ashridge Business School and the Ethical Trading Initiative found that 71 per cent of companies believe there is a likelihood of modern slavery occurring at some point within their supply chains.

The requirement for medium and large companies is clear - but how does the Modern Slavery Act impact SMEs, Social Enterprises, Charities and public procurement practices?​

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