Next week, KnowTheChain will publish its 2018 Information and Communications Technology (ICT) benchmark report, which evaluates 40 global ICT companies on their efforts to address forced labor in their supply chains. The companies covered in the benchmark represent the largest electronic hardware companies in the sector with a combined market capitalization of $4.7 trillion.[1] As such, they play an important role in helping prevent and respond to forced labor abuses in their supply chains.
In advance to the benchmark release, we’ve published a preview covering the two lowest scoring themes in the benchmark. Worker voice and recruitment, the two areas that have the most direct impact on workers’ lives, remain among the lowest scoring themes.
This is particularly troubling given the impact these themes have on people’s lives. For example, some Nepalese migrant workers in Malaysia were found to have been charged recruitment fees of £1,000 and would be charged the equivalent of three to four months’ salary if they wanted to leave the job before the end of their contract.[2]
One notable leading practice by a company in the benchmark includes Intel which reports to have a new initiative that requires key suppliers to map the journey of their migrant workers, assess those journeys for risks, and develop action plans to mitigate those risks. The company discloses that more than 20 suppliers have completed this mapping so far.
Read an extended benchmark preview here and mark your calendar, June 18, for the release of our full benchmark report.
[1] Company selection and assessment of market capitalization is carried out by Sustainalytics.
[2] The Guardian (2016), “Samsung and Panasonic accused over supply chain labor abuses in Malaysia.” Accessed 30 April 2018.