How is modern slavery linked to supply chain CSR, and what strategies address it?

• A. It reflects human rights abuses; supplier audits, remediation, codes of conduct, traceability, transparency
• B. It is unrelated to CSR; only marketing matters
• C. It is solved by price reductions and vendor diversification
• D. It only concerns internal hiring practices

Answer: (C)

Modern slavery in supply chains is a human rights issue that CSR programs directly address by building visibility, accountability, and responsibility throughout sourcing. Companies operate through complex networks of suppliers and sub-suppliers, often across multiple countries, which creates risk that workers are exploited or coerced. The most effective response is to embed due diligence and clear expectations into how the business sources goods and services. This includes establishing codes of conduct that prohibit forced labor, conducting supplier audits to verify compliance, implementing remediation when abuses are found, mapping and tracing the supply chain to know where risks originate, and maintaining transparency so stakeholders can monitor progress and push for improvement.

These strategies matter because they move beyond treating modern slavery as an external problem to making it part of everyday governance and supplier management. Simply lowering prices or diversifying vendors doesn’t necessarily prevent abuses if there’s no oversight or accountability. Likewise, focusing only on internal hiring ignores the vast population of workers outside the company’s direct payroll who are still affected by the company’s sourcing choices.