April 19, 2019
Earlier this week, KnowTheChain launched a report that looks at comparative data gathered from all six of its 2016 and 2018 benchmarks, and identifies areas where progress has been made by companies to address forced labor risks in supply chains, as well as gaps where corporate practice continues to fall short.
The data shows that since 2016 many companies are taking additional efforts to address forced labor, but progress remains slow and an average score of 33 out of 100 across all sectors demonstrates that these improvements have not yet resulted in changes at a systemic level; there is much more to be done.
Across all its benchmarks, KnowTheChain found that the areas that have the greatest impact on workers’ lives — worker voice and recruitment — continue to be the areas where companies perform the worst.
The purpose of this report is to share key findings and trends across benchmark cycles, as well as to highlight interventions that can enable companies and investors across all sectors to meaningfully address the risk of forced labor in supply chains. The report includes a tool that provides guidance on first steps for companies beginning to address forced labor in their supply chains. This tool can also be used by companies aiming to strengthen existing programs to address this issue and includes good practice examples for each sector.