How companies can address human rights risks in global supply chains
From EY Sustainability Matters by EY
May 28, 2025 · 29 min · Season 6 · Episode 8
About this episode
The episode discusses how companies can address human rights risks in global supply chains, focusing on modern slavery and legislative pressures.
Despite the popular belief that slavery is a thing of the past, it is estimated that slavery affects around 50 million people globally. Human exploitation for labour and other forms of modern slavery are embedded within the supply chains of many of the products and services that we choose to consume regularly, whether we are buying clothes, electronics, or even a bar of chocolate. This is becoming an increasing concern for business as well. Mounting pressure from both legislative bodies that introduce new regulations and a new generation of consumers, who seem to be willing to pay more for sustainable products, signals a need for a change. In this episode of the EY Sustainability Matters podcast, host Bruno Sarda explores this topic further with Tom Veit, CEO of Asahi Global Procurement – a large Japanese consumer goods company, and Kate Skattang, Director in the Climate Change and Sustainability Services practice at EY Australia (Ernst & Young Services Pty Limited). The guests discuss the challenges posed by the issue of forced labor across global supply chains and the recent legislative changes that compel organizations to scrutinize their procurement. Tom and Kate share…
People in this episode
Host: Bruno Sarda
Guests: Tom Veit, Kate Skattang
Topics covered
- human rights
- supply chains
- modern slavery
- business responsibility
- sustainability
- legislation
- procurement
Keywords
- human rights
- supply chains
- modern slavery
- legislation
- sustainability
- procurement
- business ethics
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Asahi Global Procurement, EY Australia, Ernst & Young Services Pty Limited
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