Toolkit For Suppliers
This toolkit aims to help companies that work in corporate supply chains to quickly identify areas of their business which carry the highest risk of modern slavery and develop a simple plan to prevent and address any identified risks. It is designed particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which typically face the greatest modern slavery risks across supply chains, but can be considered a resource for companies of all sizes as they get started.
compendium for Procurement Teams
As a compendium to the Toolkit for Corporate Suppliers, this quick reference guide provides practical guidance specifically designed for procurement teams to engage with suppliers, identify red flags for modern slavery practices, and address and mitigate risks of modern slavery among business partners and suppliers.
toolkit Infographics
Template policies for corporate suppliers
GBCAT has created free, downloadable templates for business across industries who seek to adopt a company-wide policy and commitment to prevent child labor and to address risks of modern slavery in their business operations and supply chains.
These templates offer an example of comprehensive policies and are subject to adaptation based on company context. Parts of these templates can also be incorporated into a broader policy on human rights.
Further Reading for Suppliers
+ General Resources for Business on Modern Slavery
- ILO Indicators of Forced Labour: A description of the most common signs or “clues” that point to the possible existence of a forced labour case, to help “front-line” workers such as labour inspectors, trade union officers, NGO workers and others to identify persons who are possibly trapped in a forced labour situation, and who may require urgent assistance. ILO
- Training Videos: What is Modern Slavery: Short animations useful for training workers and stakeholders on modern slavery, human trafficking, child slavery, and other topics. Freedom United
- Modern Slavery: An Introduction: Guide to gain an understanding of the fundamental principles of modern slavery. The Mekong Club
- Combatting Forced Labor: A Handbook for Employers & Businesses: Guidance material and tools for employers and business to strengthen their capacity to address the risk of forced labour and human trafficking in their own operations and in global supply chains. ILO
- Base Code Guidance: Modern Slavery: Guidance for companies on addressing modern slavery risks in their operations and supply chains. Anti-Slavery International, ETI
- Business Responsibility on Preventing and Addressing Forced Labour in Malaysia: Practical guidance for employers on how to identify risks of forced labour in company recruitment, employment, and sourcing practices, and how to effectively prevent and eliminate these risks. While focused on Malaysia, its recommendations are relevant to all markets in which modern slavery is a risk to business. ILO
- Business: It's Time to Act: Decent Work, Modern Slavery & Child Labour: A quick overview of the steps businesses can take to help eliminate modern slavery. UN Global Compact
- Navigating Through Your Supply Chain, Toolkit for Prevention of Labour Exploitation and Trafficking: This risk management toolkit has been developed to give companies a brief overview of what labour exploitation and trafficking are, as well as to demonstrate the risks for businesses, and how involvement in such scenarios can be effectively avoided. HEUNI
Identify Geographic and Industry-level Risks
- Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Provide country-level analysis of forced/compulsory labour issues in practice including relevant laws and enforcement gaps. U.S. Department of State
- Global Slavery Index: A country by country ranking of the number of people in modern slavery, as well as an analysis of the actions governments are taking to respond, and the factors that make people vulnerable. Walk Free Foundation
- Human Trafficking Knowledge Portal: Includes a database of case law and legislation across multiple countries with a focus on human trafficking. UNODC
- NORMLEX Information System on International Labour Standards: Information on national labour laws, country ratifications of ILO conventions, and comments made by supervisory bodies on countries’ implementation of those conventions. ILO
- Forced Labour Commodity Atlas: A database of 43 commodities and their relationship to forced labor and other forms of exploitation at the base of global supply chains. Verité
- List of Goods Produced by Child Labour and Forced Labour: A comprehensive analysis by country of what products may include production risks of child labour and forced labour in the world today, including in the formal and informal sector. U.S. Department of Labor
+ Identify, Prevent, and Address Modern Slavery Risks
Manage Modern Slavery Risks in Recruitment of Workers by the Business and Using Recruitment Agencies
- Best Practice Guidance on Ethical Recruitment: Good practice steps taken by some companies that may serve as examples or models for other companies looking to implement ethical recruitment policies, and drive change at the recruitment agency level. *Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility *
- Six Steps to Responsible Recruitment: Outlines six steps to implement the Employer Pays Principle. IHRB, Leadership Group for Responsible Recruitment
- The Employer Pays Principle: This Responsible Recruitment Gateway provides access to a range of tools and information to help companies move towards the ‘Employer Pays’ model of responsible recruitment. IHRB
Recruiting Migrant Workers
- Due Diligence Toolkit for Fair Recruitment: Helps businesses, especially SMEs, to set out a due diligence process when hiring workers from abroad. It features step-by-step guidance for companies throughout the recruitment process. ILO
- Fair Recruitment Video: A short and simple video explaining the ILO General Principles and Operational Guidelines for Fair Recrtuiment. ITC
- Fair Hiring Toolkit: Offers tools, guidance, and approaches to support the responsible recruitment and hiring of migrant workers in global supply chains. Verité
- Responsible Recruitment – Remediating Worker-Paid Recruitment Fees: Identifies the challenges related to reimbursing recruitment fees and provides recommendations to businesses on how to apply remediation policies across their activities. IHRB
- The Dhaka Principles for Migration with Dignity: Provides key principles that employers and migrant recruiters should respect at each stage of the recruitment and migration process to ensure migration with dignity. IHRB
Manage Modern Slavery Risks across the Operations of Business
- Addressing the Retention of Identity Documents: A call to business to take action to address the retention of identity documents and its associated risk of labour abuse. References to relevant international standards and links to additional resources provide further guidance to business. UN Global Compact, Verité
- Guidance on Operational Practice and Indications of Forced Labour: Guidance on how to spot the signs of definite, strong, and possible indicators of forced labour for both auditors and audit readers. It proposes a list of indicators, based on operational practice, which either independently or in various combinations, can increase the risk of forced labour through a worker’s employment cycle. SEDEX
- Managing Risks Associated with Modern Slavery: A Good Practice Note for the Private Sector: A comprehensive resource including good practice examples as well as practical tools and checklists which are included at the end of the document, including pre-screening questionnaires and guidance on workplace assessments. Ergon Associates, ETI
- Modern Slavery SME Toolkit: Practical guidance for SMEs on how they can prevent modern slavery in their business operations. STOP THE TRAFFIK, Shiva Foundation
Manage Modern Slavery Risks across the Supply Chain and with Business Partners
- Forced Labor in Supply Chains: Addressing Risks and Safeguarding Workers' Freedoms: Offers recommendations of proactive and cooperative steps that companies can take to ensure suppliers do not engage in, contribute to, or tolerate forced labor. Fair Labor Association
- The Slavery & Trafficking Risk Template: A free self-assessment questionnaire used to assist companies in their efforts to comply with human trafficking and modern slavery legislation and improve their supply chain-related public disclosures. Social Responsibility Alliance
- Template: Managing Risks Associated with Modern Slavery: A Good Practice Note for the private sector (view Annex): A template RFP questionnaire for prospective suppliers to assess modern slavery related risks. Ergon Associates, ETI
Remediate Identified Cases of Modern Slavery
- Guidance for Remediation and Prevention of Migrant Worker Recruitment Fees and Related Costs in Public Procurement: Guidance for public buyers to help them (1) detect migrant worker debt bondage and forced labour risks in their supply chain and (2) ensure appropriate remediation and prevention when migrant workers face risk of debt bondage caused by recruitment fees and related costs. Electronics Watch
- Remediation, Grievance Mechanisms and the Corporate Responsibility to Respect Human Rights: A review of what companies are expected to do to provide remedy when human rights impacts have already occurred, whether in their own operations or in their value chains, in line with the Guiding Principles. Shift
- Responsible Recruitment – Remediating Worker-Paid Recruitment Fees: Guidance on reimbursing recruitment fees and recommendations to businesses on how to apply remediation policies across their activities. IHRB
- The IOM Handbook on Direct Assistance for Victims of Trafficking: Guidance and advice to effectively deliver a full range of assistance to victims of trafficking from the point of initial contact and screening up to the effective social reintegration of the individuals concerned. IOM
Child Labour
- Base Code Guidance: Child Labour: Guidance to companies on what they could and should do to identify, manage, mitigate, prevent, and continuously monitor and improve their approaches to child labour. ETI
- Child Labour Guidance Tool for Business: An overview on how to do business with respect for children’s right to be free from child labour. ILO, IOE
- Good Practice Note: Addressing Child Labour in the Workplace and Supply Chain: Provides companies with a range of basic, good practice approaches that other businesses have successfully applied in addressing the issue of harmful child labor in their workplaces and those of their vendors and suppliers. IFC
- Guidance: Age Verification at Garment Factories in Myanmar: This practical guidance document aims to help garment factories in Myanmar to set up a more robust Age Verification System. Fair Wear Foundation
- Operational Procedures for Remediation of Child Labor in Industrial Contexts: Operational procedures on how to deal with instances of child labour in the industrial context. IMPAACT
Sex Trafficking
- Understanding and Recognizing Sex Trafficking: Research on business and sex trafficking. Polaris
- Ending Sexual Exploitation of Children: A worldwide network of organizations working to end the sexual exploitation of children, including shelters for survivors, training and supporting law enforcement, influencing governments, and conducting a wide range of research. ECPAT
+ Business Policies, Practices, and Management Systems
Develop a Business Code of Conduct
- Anti-Human Trafficking Business Authentication Criteria: Country and Site Level: Criteria that can be used by any organization to help it design an effective and transparent system for preventing human trafficking in its operations and those of its supply chain. It can also be used by an organization or an independent third party to authenticate the scope and effectiveness of the organization’s anti-human trafficking efforts. Verité
Develop a Supplier Code of Conduct
- Template: Business Responsibility on Preventing and Addressing Forced Labour in Malaysia: Page 88 of the Guide offers a sample contract between corporate supplier and its Business Partner (Supplier, Recruitment Agency, Contractor). ILO
- Template Modern Slavery Toolkit: Toolkit to help businesses develop a strategy to prevent modern slavery in their operations and supply chains. Offers a list of printable tools and templates. Co-operatives UK
- Template: Sample Contract for Corporate Suppliers: Excerpt of a contract between corporate supplier and its Business Partner (Supplier, Recruitment Agency, Contractor).
- Example: Modern Slavery Toolkit: MNC example supplier code of conduct. Marks & Spencer
- Example: IKEA Way on Purchasing Products, Materials and Services, (IWAY) Standards: MNC example supplier code of conduct. IKEA
- Example: Policy on Modern Slavery, Responsible Sourcing and Purchasing Policy, Labor Rights Charter, Code of Conduct for Suppliers: MNC example supplier code of conduct. Adidas
- Example: Company Response to Employers Pays Principle to Suppliers and Recruitment Agency: MNC example supplier code of conduct. Multiplex
- Example: Supplier Workplace Code of Conduct: MNC example supplier code of conduct. Patagonia
Develop a Complaint/Grievance Mechanism
- Business Responsibility on Preventing and Addressing Forced Labour in Malaysia: Guidance to business on how to create a secure complaint/grievance mechanism for workers to report modern slavery risks. ILO
Partner with Victim Support Organizations
- Interactive Map for Business on Anti-Human Trafficking Organizations: A global map of organizations and initiatives supporting business on anti-modern slavery efforts. Find organizations working with the private sector to end forced labour, child labour and modern slavery based on geography, industry, and issue area. BSR, GI-TOC, Alliance 8.7
- The Global Modern Slavery Directory: A database of organizations that address all types of human trafficking, including direct service providers, as well as groups that carry out awareness, advocacy and prevention efforts, or organizations that may assist victims of trafficking while addressing related issues. Polaris
+ Industry Specific Guidance
Apparel and Footwear
- 2018 Apparel and Footwear Benchmark Findings Report: Assesses the efforts of 43 global apparel and footwear companies to address forced labor risks in their supply chains. Know the Chain
Financial Services
- Modern Slavery: A Resource Guide for the Banking Industry: Guidance for the financial services sector to identify new money laundering trends that may be linked to slavery and in doing so, can also help to offset the risk to their own organization from illegal and fraudulent businesses. The Mekong Club
Food and Beverage
- Training Toolkit on Addressing Child Labor and Forced Labor In Agricultural Supply Chains: Guidance to companies and suppliers who are interested in adopting responsible sourcing frameworks in the agricultural supply chain. Fair Labor Association
- Responsible Recruitment Program: A multi-stakeholder collaborative program that seeks to motivate the US fresh produce sector to recognize and reward responsible recruitment. Stronger Together
- 2018 Food and Beverage Benchmark Findings Report: Assesses the efforts of 38 global food and beverage companies to address forced labor risks in their supply chains. Know the Chain
Hospitality
- SEE Formula: Designed for the hospitality sector, provides guidance on scrutinizing and engaging with vulnerable staff and ensuring businesses have proper procedures to manage risks. Anti-Slavery International, IHRB
- The Stop Slavery Blueprint: Guidance with recommended action and templates to set up strong processes and protocols to address risk of modern slavery within a hospitality company’s business and supply chains. Shiva Foundation
Information and Communications Technologies
- 2018 ICT Benchmark Findings Report: Assesses the efforts of 40 large global ICT companies to address forced labour risks in their supply chains. Know the Chain
Mining
- Remediation Guidelines for Victims of Exploitation in Extended Mineral Supply Chains: Guidelines for downstream companies in the mineral supply chain and their business partners to ensure victims of exploitation are adequately protected and assisted. IOM