abusesaffiliationarrow-downarrow-leftarrow-rightarrow-upattack-typeburgerchevron-downchevron-leftchevron-rightchevron-upClock iconclosedeletedevelopment-povertydiscriminationdollardownloademailenvironmentexternal-linkfacebookfiltergenderglobegroupshealthC4067174-3DD9-4B9E-AD64-284FDAAE6338@1xinformation-outlineinformationinstagraminvestment-trade-globalisationissueslabourlanguagesShapeCombined Shapeline, chart, up, arrow, graphLinkedInlocationmap-pinminusnewsorganisationotheroverviewpluspreviewArtboard 185profilerefreshIconnewssearchsecurityPathStock downStock steadyStock uptagticktooltiptwitteruniversalityweb
Report

26 Mar 2018

KnowTheChain - Analysis of modern slavery statements in the electronics sector

To mark the third anniversary of the passage of the UK Modern Slavery Act in March 2018, KnowTheChain preport - "Eradicating forced labor in electronics: What do company statements under the UK Modern Slavery Act tell us?" - analysed to what extent the ICT sector is aware of and responding to the UK Modern Slavery Act, the most far-reaching global legislation on forced labour and human trafficking currently in effect.

We identified 102 ICT companies from Asia, Europe, and the United States required to report under the Modern Slavery Act. Most of them were aware of their obligation under this legislation and had published a statement; we reached out to 23 of those companies that had not published a statement.* Eight companies published a statement following our outreach.**

However, compliance with the minimum requirements of the legislation was low. We believe only 18% of the statements (14 out of 79) analysed are compliant with the three minimum requirements of the Act (board approval, director signature, link on homepage). Further, a majority of the companies assessed did not address forced labour risks specific to ICT, even though exploitation of migrant workers through recruitment agencies are well documented in the sector.

Below is a list of ICT companies which the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre believes are required to report under UK Modern Slavery Act, but have not yet published a statement:

  • Axis (Sweden)
  • Broadcom (USA/Singapore)
  • Delta Electronics (Taiwan)
  • Hirose Electric (Japan)
  • Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology (China)***
  • Fanuc Corporation (Japan)
  • MediaTek Inc (Taiwan)
  • Seagate Technology (USA)
  • SK Hynix (South Korea)
  • Stanley Electric Co Ltd (Japan)

* A few companies pointed us to statements published on less obvious places on their websites (i.e., not on the homepage, on in sections such as sustainability or supply chain responsibility). One company responded noting they believe they are not required to report under the legislation. 

** One additional company included a reference to the UK Modern Slavery Act and subsequent actions taken on their website.

***Hikvision have shared a confidential draft commitment with us, which includes a reference to their support of the UK Modern Slavery Act. This document is not yet publicly available. 

Timeline

Privacy information

This site uses cookies and other web storage technologies. You can set your privacy choices below. Changes will take effect immediately.

For more information on our use of web storage, please refer to our Data Usage and Cookies Policy

Strictly necessary storage

ON
OFF

Necessary storage enables core site functionality. This site cannot function without it, so it can only be disabled by changing settings in your browser.

Analytics cookie

ON
OFF

When you access our website we use Google Analytics to collect information on your visit. Accepting this cookie will allow us to understand more details about your journey, and improve how we surface information. All analytics information is anonymous and we do not use it to identify you. Google provides a Google Analytics opt-out add on for all popular browsers.

Promotional cookies

ON
OFF

We share news and updates on business and human rights through third party platforms, including social media and search engines. These cookies help us to understand the performance of these promotions.

Your privacy choices for this site

This site uses cookies and other web storage technologies to enhance your experience beyond necessary core functionality.