LUPC has carried out a review of the Modern Slavery Statements of our top 20 suppliers (based on our spend and commodity risk categorisation), focusing on just the mandatory elements. Have a read of our findings. We hope the suppliers who are still not compliant will get there very soon and we will continue to work with them if they need any support.

After the BBC highlighted the issue of cotton farm workers, we continued our ceremonial gowns supply mapping project which we began in 2019 (see below for the report). This time we asked suppliers to look further down their supply chain to their second tier and asked the following:

• Where the raw materials for their gowns come from
• About social and environmental impacts of production on garment industries
• Due diligence practices in their supply chains, including the monitoring of working conditions.

This case study outlines our findings.

Following on from a Channel 4 investigation that revealed significant human rights abuses in the supply chain for the production of personal protective equipment (PPE), LUPC approached PPE framework suppliers to confirm the processes they use to mitigate abuse.

This article provides details on the action taken by LUPC and framework suppliers’ responses, demonstrating their joint commitment to responsible procurement in PPE supply chains.

Textiles is one of the areas LUPC has examined recently, focusing particularly on graduation gowns. They are generally produced in factories in China, Bangladesh, India, Vietnam, Cambodia and Turkey. Risks to human rights include modern slavery, child labour, exposure to chemicals and harmful working conditions. This case study shows how we question our suppliers.

LUPC carried out a social audit of a Shield Scientific sub-contracted glove manufacturer, located in Malaysia, to check the working conditions of migrant workers.

This project is part of LUPC’s focus to be the leader in responsible procurement by promoting ethical standards across supply chains collaboratively with suppliers.