KnowTheChain Benchmarks
Benchmarks help identify and share leading practices, enabling companies to improve their standards and procedures. The KnowTheChain benchmarks aim to help companies protect the wellbeing of workers by incentivizing companies and identifying gaps in each sector evaluated. KnowTheChain published its first set of benchmarks in 2016, and the second set, covering more than 120 companies, in 2018.
Overall Score 2016 Information & Communications Technology
Key Findings
2016 Information & Communications Technology
Overall Score
39/100
An evaluation of ICT companies' efforts to protect workers in their supply chains from forced labor.
Worker Voice
ICT companies are taking little action to ensure workers have a voice throughout their supply chain.
Traceability & Risk Assessment
ICT companies are taking steps to trace their supply chains beyond first-tier suppliers.
Recruitment
While some firms have leading policies on recruitment fees, more action is needed across the sector.
Overall Score 2016 Food & Beverage
Key Findings
2016 Food & Beverage
Overall Score
31/100
An evaluation of Food & Beverage companies' efforts to protect workers in their supply chains from forced labor.
Recruitment
Action needed to protect migrant and seasonal agriculture workers during recruitment.
Traceability
Companies have started to trace commodities, but efforts are limited in scope.
Purchasing Practices
Integration of labor standards needs to be accompanied by efforts to reward suppliers with strong labor practices.
Overall Score 2016 Apparel & Footwear
Key Findings
2016 Apparel & Footwear
Overall Score
46/100
An evaluation of Apparel and Footwear companies' efforts to protect workers in their supply chains from forced labor.
Recruitment
Action needed to protect workers during recruitment process.
Worker Voice
Apparel companies taking little action to ensure workers have a voice throughout their supply chain.
Remedy
Greater commitment needed by apparel companies to address and remediate abuses.
Overall Score 2018 Information & Communications Technology
Key Findings
2018 Information & Communications Technology
Overall Score
32/100
An evaluation of ICT companies' efforts to protect workers in their supply chains from forced labor.
Worker Voice
ICT companies are not doing enough to ensure workers have a voice throughout their supply chains.
Recruitment
Some ICT have leading policies on recruitment fees, but more action is needed across the sector.
Commitment
The majority have commitments to address forced labor, yet there is a disconnect between the policies and effective implementation of these policies.
Overall Score 2018 Food & Beverage
Key Findings
2018 Food & Beverage
Overall Score
30/100
An evaluation of Food & Beverage companies' efforts to protect workers in their supply chains from forced labor.
Recruitment
Companies are not doing enough to monitor and address risks related to exploitation of workers through recruitment agencies used by their suppliers.
Commitment
The majority of companies disclose commitments to address forced labor; however, only 13 out of 38 companies report that they deliver training on forced labor to their suppliers.
Worker Voice
The average company takes little or no action to engage with and empower workers in its supply chains to ensure they are able to understand and enforce their rights.
Overall Score 2018 Apparel & Footwear
Key Findings
2018 Apparel & Footwear
Overall Score
37/100
An evaluation of Apparel and Footwear companies' efforts to protect workers in their supply chains from forced labor.
Recruitment
Companies are not doing enough to support responsible recruitment practices, including the prevention of worker-paid recruitment fees in their supply chains.
Commitment
Most companies disclose a supply chain standard that addresses forced labor; however, there is less disclosure on how companies engage with local stakeholders on the issue of forced labor.
Worker Voice
The average company discloses limited efforts to engage with and empower workers in its supply chains to ensure they are able to understand and enforce their rights.
Company Comparison Tool
The comparison tool can be used to compare benchmarked companies, and to assess the benchmark results in greater detail. The benchmark methodology's seven themes were selected to capture the key areas where companies need to take action to eradicate forced labor from their supply chains: commitment and governance; traceability and risk assessment; purchasing practices; recruitment; worker voice; monitoring; and remedy. These seven themes have a total of 23 indicators. For each theme a company can score a total of 100 points.
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Industries and companies can be selected using the interactive navigation panel
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A quick view of how a company scored in each theme is shown before the full company profile is accessed
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The results can be filtered by theme or by quartile
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The interactive chart can be used to see how a company ranks against other companies