Build your own statement

These examples show what sort of statement is good and what to avoid. 

Poor: “We are a business that buys and sells services.”

Lacks any meaningful detail or relevance to supply chains.

Needs improvement: “We operate in the UK and use a range of suppliers.”

Too vague – no mention of sectors, scale or risk.

Good: “We operate across the UK and EU, sourcing services from cleaning, maintenance, and security suppliers.”

Clear and sector-specific, but could be more detailed.

Excellent: “We operate across the UK and EU, with a supply chain that includes over 200 suppliers, subcontractors, and labour agencies in cleaning, maintenance, and security services.”

Detailed, transparent, and risk-aware.

These examples show what sort of statement is good and what to avoid. 

Poor: “We don’t support slavery and expect others to follow the law.”

Generic and passive – no policy or action.

Needs improvement: “We have a policy available on request.”

Lacks visibility and accountability.

Good: “We have a modern slavery policy that outlines our expectations of suppliers and is reviewed annually.”

Proactive and structured.

Excellent: “We maintain a modern slavery policy aligned with the UN Guiding Principles, reviewed annually and shared with all suppliers during onboarding.”

Comprehensive, aligned with best practice and embedded in supplier engagement.

These examples show what sort of statement is good and what to avoid. 

Poor: “We trust our suppliers to comply with the law.”

No due diligence or verification.

Needs improvement: “We ask suppliers to sign our code of conduct.”

A start, but lacks follow-up or monitoring.

Good: “We conduct annual supplier reviews and request documentation on recruitment and working conditions.”

Shows active monitoring.

Excellent: “We conduct annual risk assessments, audit high-risk suppliers, and require evidence of recruitment practices, wages and working conditions.”

Risk-based, evidence-driven, and proactive.

These examples show what sort of statement is good and what to avoid. 

Poor: “We don’t currently provide training.”

Non-compliant and high-risk.

Needs improvement: “We send out an annual email reminder.”

Minimal effort, no engagement.

Good: “We provide annual training to procurement and human resources (HR) teams.”

Targeted and recurring.

Excellent: “We deliver tailored modern slavery training to procurement, HR, and site managers, and track completion rates as part of our KPIs.”

Comprehensive, measurable, and embedded in performance.

These examples show what sort of statement is good and what to avoid. 

Poor: “We assume everything is fine unless we hear otherwise.”

No monitoring or accountability.

Needs improvement: “We occasionally review supplier performance.”

Infrequent and lacks structure.

Good: “We monitor supplier compliance through annual reviews and spot checks.”

Shows active oversight.

Excellent: “We track KPIs such as training completion, audit outcomes, and supplier remediation actions, and report progress to senior leadership.”

Strong governance, measurable outcomes and leadership engagement.

Creating a strong modern slavery statement means bringing together the key elements from across the module.

Your statement should:

• clearly describe your organisation and supply chains
• explain how you identify and manage risks
• set out your policies, due diligence, and training
• demonstrate accountability through leadership approval.

It should move beyond general statements and provide clear, practical detail.

Once complete, it should be:

• approved by senior leadership
• published on your website with a clear homepage link
• reviewed regularly.

A well-developed statement supports transparency, builds trust, and demonstrates your commitment to protecting people across your supply chain.

Our Code of Supplier Responsibility expects all suppliers to respect human rights, with continuous improvement in higher risk sectors. Thank you for your commitment to responsible sourcing.