Sedex releases new Forced Labour Indicators Tool

We are pleased to announce the release of Sedex’s new Forced Labour Indicators tool, supporting businesses to identify and address forced labour within their supply chains.

The International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates that 24.9 million people worldwide are victims of forced labour, with 16 million of these being exploited in the private sector. However, forced labour issues are often hidden, making it difficult for businesses to ensure all workers in their business and supply chains receive decent working conditions, free from exploitation.

The Sedex Forced Labour Indicators tool within Radar, our risk assessment tool, uses a data-driven approach to help businesses understand where potential indicators of forced labour have been identified within their supply chains. 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 have been identified within your supply chain. The number of indicators – which are based on research by the 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 free from exploitation, in line with the ambitions of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

You can also access the Forced Labour Indicators guidance document.

How to access the report

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

For more information:

We will continue to evolve the reports as we learn more about the relative strengths of forced labour indicators.

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