A couple of years ago, the CPO of a major international chemicals company shared an image with me. At first glance, it was innocuous.
Only when he pointed it out, did I notice a footprint on the floor of the factory that the image was of. And only after he had brought my attention to the scale of that footprint did it dawn on me that it belonged to a child.
The experience brought home the reality of the situation in which many global CPOs find themselves when it comes to trying to identify instances of modern slavery in the supply base. The photographer had not intentionally included the footprint in the photograph but, when it was noticed, it led to a full investigation into the working practices of that supplier.
Like it or not, global supply chains are susceptible to instances of child labour and modern slavery – and CPOs are answerable. But when such activity can take place several tiers upstream, sometimes in far flung corners of the world, CPOs have their work cut out tracking it down. As an aside, there are also significant instances of modern slavery that take place in so-called developed markets.
A Procurement Leaders community call last week delved into this issue, with more than 100 participants hearing from Lucy Mann from charity Unseen. Lucy revealed global profits from modern slavery are estimated to be as high as $236bn, while a recent International Labour Organization report estimates that there are 50 million victims globally, 28 million of whom are in forced labour.
High-risk sectors include agriculture, manufacturing, construction, and raw materials, among others, typically where there are remote working locations, temporary workers and low skill requirements. Lucy shared approaches to identification and remediation that organisations could employ, but what I found encouraging was the enthusiasm and commitment shown by those who joined the call.
As leaders of global supply networks, CPOs have the opportunity to reduce instances of modern slavery significantly and help improve those horrendous statistics.
It will take focus, a commitment to audits and transparent working practices and collaboration to get there.
But what an opportunity we have to make the world a better, more equitable place for millions of individuals around the world.
Monitoring sustainability progress
As businesses continue their preparations for the coming year, our colleagues at Sustainability Leaders are busy gathering responses to help power the findings for their Sustainability Planning Guide 2025.
With the relationship between procurement and sustainability growing ever closer – not to mention an increasing number of CPOs assuming responsibility for sustainability – CPOs are able to bring a uniquely valuable perspective. Please take a few minutes to participate in the survey and help enable the community to deliver on their ESG goals.
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