The COVID-19 pandemic has led both to a surge in demand for PPE, such as gowns, masks and eye protection, and an awareness of modern slavery risks in the industry. The UK is at the forefront of international action to tackle modern slavery. Under section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act, the UK became the first country to require businesses to produce annual modern slavery statements setting out how they are tackling modern slavery in their operations and supply chains. The UK Government has committed to extending the transparency requirement to public bodies with a budget of £36m or more.
As part of Government efforts to tackle modern slavery in global supply chains, the Home Office commissioned Impactt to develop tailored guidance for buyers and suppliers of PPE on the steps they can take throughout the commercial lifecycle to identify and mitigate modern slavery risks, particularly how to monitor and assess labour rights issues.
The guidance focuses on:
- Understanding the indicators of modern slavery
- How to conduct due diligence on a supply chain
- How to address risks and implement remediation
- Best practices buyers and suppliers can use to mitigate risks
The guidance documents for both buyers and suppliers are now available on the Government website: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/buyers-and-suppliers-of-personal-protective-equipment-ppe
