Modern slavery is moving up the political and legislative agenda within the UK, whilst shareholder and investor initiatives on the issue are increasing. Whilst recent global events, such as the war in Ukraine, are further increasing modern slavery risks within companies and portfolios, our research suggests that companies are not sufficiently equipped to deal with such risks.

In its Annual Review of Corporate Governance Reporting (2021), the FRC published findings from research carried out by Lancaster University on the extent to which companies are including modern slavery in their disclosures as part of their responsibility to consider the interests of their stakeholders in their annual report. The research also included a review of reporting on modern slavery governance, policies, and due diligence in modern slavery statements.