The UK Modern Slavery Act is driving the construction sector to address the risks that lie deep in its supply chain. Action Sustainability was tasked to work with a selection of the Supply Chain Sustainability School’s Partners to run a pilot programme to understand the magnitude of the task.
Action Sustainability worked in collaboration with over 30 partners in the UK construction sector to identify some key products that are common to all partners. With the support of partners to encourage their tier 1 suppliers to cooperate, we explored the supply chain of commonly purchased products (such as a hi-vis vests) down to the raw materials, if possible.
The results were a revelation to the industry. A product as simple as a hi-vis vest has numerous components coming from places such as USA, China, India and Morocco. The challenges encountered in overcoming concerns about commercial confidentiality were significant.
For more information
Contact: Helen Carter
Email: helen@actionsustainability.com
Phone: 07825 059 085
Having developed an understanding of the size and shape of the task, the Supply Chain Sustainability School is now embarking on a category-led strategy to engage all players in supply chains of high risk categories to resolve these risks in collaboration.
Fig 1: High risk countries for sourcing components for high visibility jackets
