Modern slavery footprints in global supply chains

Hannah‐Jayne Shilling, Thomas Wiedmann and Arunima Malik

Journal of Industrial Ecology, 2021, vol. 25, issue 6, 1518-1528

Abstract: Slavery is more prevalent today than at any point in human history. Society's heightened scrutiny and new government policy is forcing businesses and nations to act in lieu of reputational, financial, and legal repercussions. However, slavery hides within complex supply chains, making it difficult to identify instances of human exploitation. This study takes a consumption perspective by investigating the potential of footprinting in exposing modern slavery impacts embodied in upstream supply chains. A multi‐regional input–output analysis extended with a slavery satellite account enables footprints of direct and indirect incidents of modern slavery to be quantified. The footprints reveal a displacement of slavery from developed to developing nations through the global supply chains of production. Accountability for enslavement significantly increases for countries and regions like North America, Western Europe, Australia, and Japan due to a high dependence on imports with embodied human exploitation. The results expose hotspot sectors, including construction, trade, and agriculture. These footprints go beyond current estimates of slavery in supply chains, revealing hidden impacts and the true risk, which may enable more effective action into improving global social sustainability and support companies to responsibly manage their supply chains.

Date: 2021
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