Forced Labour Indicators tool

In long and complex supply chains, it can be difficult for businesses to have enough visibility of the issues, or enough influence with suppliers and recruiters, to ensure all workers receive decent working conditions, free from exploitation.

The Sedex Forced Labour Indicators tool aims to draw members’ attention to pragmatic operational indicators of forced labour within their supply chains.

Data driven

The Sedex Forced Labour Indicators tool uses a data-driven approach to help you understand where potential indicators of forced labour have been identified within your supply chain. These indicators can – either independently or in various combinations – indicate the potential risk of forced labour through a worker’s employment cycle.

How the tool works

The tool draws on non-compliances and observations raised during audits at supplier sites to identify commons signs or “clues” that point to the possible existence of forced labour within your supply chain. The number of indicators – which are based on research by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) – identified at specific sites are categorised and weighted to calculate a site’s audit indicator score. This is presented alongside additional risk information, including data taken from a site’s self-assessment questionnaire (SAQ) and our custom Forced Labour Index which assesses forced labour risks for four economic sectors (agriculture, food processing, manufacturing and logistics) within 248 countries. Together this information can help you understand where to prioritise your resources and take action to ensure that all workers in your supply chain are receiving decent work, in line with the ambitions of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

How to use the tool

To find out more about the tool you can view attend one of our upcoming training sessions, or watch a pre-recorded training webinar in our e-Learning platform.

You can also access the Forced Labour Indicators tool guidance.

How to access the report

The Forced Labour Indicator tool is located within Radar, Sedex’s risk assessment tool.

For more information on Radar please click here, and if you have further questions please speak with your Sedex Relationship Manager.