Pentland Brands has published its first Modern Slavery report detailing the steps it’s taken to address the risk of modern slavery in its business and supply chains.

The report highlights key actions taken to identify and tackle modern slavery risks, in line with the UK Modern Slavery Act, including:

+ Creating a policy pack to protect the rights of the most vulnerable groups, including migrant workers and homeworkers.

+ Enlisting the support of Verité, independent experts in supply chain, labour and human rights issues, to help us develop a best practice-training programme for supply chain employees and corporate responsibility practitioners.

+ Developing a risk assessment tool in partnership with Lancaster University, to assess country and factory level risk.

+ Working with Verité to pilot an enhanced factory investigation process focused on modern slavery risk indicators at a high-risk factory in Thailand

+ Working with the factory in Thailand and a lead migrant worker expert to run an improvement programme, which is the first of its kind in the region.

You can read the full report here.

Andy Long, CEO, Pentland Brands says:

“Being a global sportswear and footwear business means we can play a pivotal role in protecting people’s rights. I’m pleased that we are taking a pro-active approach to managing this complex and emerging issue. I’m particularly proud of our work in Thailand, which is close to being the first apparel and footwear initiative to tackle migrant worker recruitment and employee practices in this high-risk region“

Lydia Long, Senior Programs Director at Verite says:

“We welcome the steps that Pentland Brands has taken to address the modern slavery risks in their business and supply chain. Having worked with them to develop and deliver training on how to identify and respond to modern slavery risks, we’re pleased to see how they put this into action in Thailand, working with key stakeholders to embed recruitment and employment practices that protect migrant workers involved in producing their goods. We applaud the company’s openness to transparency, to collaboration and to taking action that is designed for long-term impact.”