Government Regulations & Laws (Human Rights & Supply Chain Due Diligence)
Turnover threshold triggering Section 54 obligations
Recommended reporting areas in annual modern slavery statements
Statements on the UK Government's Modern Slavery Registry
Regulation Overview
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/publish-an-annual-modern-slavery-statement
The UK Modern Slavery Act is the UK's primary legislation addressing slavery, servitude, forced labour, and human trafficking. For supply chain compliance teams, the core obligation is Section 54—requiring qualifying organisations to publish annual modern slavery statements describing the steps taken to prevent modern slavery in their operations and supply chains. Section 54 applies to any commercial organisation with total turnover of £36 million or more that carries on any part of its business in the UK—regardless of where incorporated. The government's updated 2025 statutory guidance now sets explicit Level 1 and Level 2 disclosure expectations across six reporting areas. The Modern Slavery Statement Registry holds over 60,000 statements, and registry submission is expected to become mandatory. UK Modern Slavery Act compliance requires supplier-level due diligence evidence—risk assessments, audit findings, corrective actions, and training records—from across your supply chain. When guidance expectations increase or enforcement reforms advance, your entire reporting framework requires reassessment.
Key Components / Sub-Frameworks
Commercial organisations (body corporate or partnership) with £36M+ total turnover\nUK-incorporated companies carrying on business in the UK\nNon-UK companies carrying on any part of their business in the UK\nGroup companies where combined subsidiary turnover exceeds £36 million\nCharities meeting the turnover threshold from business activities\nOrganisations voluntarily publishing statements to meet stakeholder expectations
Key Thresholds
The 2025 guidance now expects Level 1 and Level 2 disclosures across six areas. Your last statement was three pages of generic policy language. Stakeholders, investors, and government reviewers now compare statements on the registry. A weak statement signals weak due diligence—and increasingly, that means reputational and procurement risk.
Your statement must describe due diligence across your supply chain. You source from 500 suppliers across 30 countries. Twelve operate in high-risk regions. You have audit data for 40 of them. The rest provided self-assessments 18 months ago—or nothing at all. You cannot describe what you cannot see.
Investors and procurement teams no longer accept policy declarations. They want evidence—supplier risk assessments, audit findings, corrective action plans, training completion rates. Your modern slavery statement says you conduct due diligence. Your evidence folder says otherwise. When a customer asks for proof, you have six reporting areas to substantiate and weeks of manual compilation ahead.
You report under the UK Modern Slavery Act, Australian Modern Slavery Act, and Canadian Fighting Against Forced Labour and Child Labour Act. Each has different thresholds, reporting areas, and timelines. Three separate processes for overlapping obligations. Manual reporting at this scale is unsustainable.
Certivo In Action
Certivo in Action — UK Modern Slavery Act Workflow
From Manual Evidence Gathering to Automated Due Diligence
CORA collects and parses supplier due diligence evidence automatically. Your team focuses on remediation and stakeholder engagement—not chasing questionnaires and compiling spreadsheets.
Section 54 Statement Acceleration
Generate complete, evidence-backed modern slavery statements covering all six reporting areas in hours—not the 4-6 weeks of manual compilation.
Proactive Modern Slavery Act Compliance
When risk indicators change or new high-risk regions emerge, Certivo reassesses your supplier base instantly. Know your exposure before your next reporting cycle—not after an investor inquiry.
Key Statistics
Frequently Asked Questions
What organisations are required to comply with the UK Modern Slavery Act?
Any commercial organisation—body corporate or partnership—that carries on business or part of a business in the UK and has a total annual turnover of £36 million or more (including subsidiaries) must publish an annual Section 54 statement. This includes non-UK companies with UK business operations. The obligation applies regardless of where the company is incorporated. Certivo helps organisations determine scope and manage multi-entity reporting requirements.
What are the penalties for non-compliance with the UK Modern Slavery Act?
Currently, the Secretary of State can seek a High Court injunction compelling compliance. Failure to comply with an injunction constitutes contempt of court, punishable by an unlimited fine. The UK government is reviewing enforcement reforms including turnover-based penalties, mandatory registry submission, and potential director disqualification for persistent non-compliance. Reputational risk and procurement exclusion increasingly exceed legal penalties.
How does Certivo help organisations meet the 2025 updated guidance expectations?
CORA collects supplier due diligence evidence—risk assessments, audit findings, corrective actions, and training records—and maps it to all six Section 54 reporting areas. Certivo generates Level 1 and Level 2 disclosures automatically, producing board-ready statements with full evidence traceability. Year-on-year progress tracking demonstrates continuous improvement as the guidance expects.
What declaration and evidence formats does Certivo accept from suppliers?
Certivo accepts any format: SMETA reports, RBA assessments, PDF questionnaires, Excel self-assessments, audit certificates, and freeform responses. CORA extracts risk indicators and due diligence evidence regardless of format or language, eliminating the need to standardise inputs across your global supplier base.
Does Certivo support UK Modern Slavery Act reporting alongside other human rights frameworks?
Yes. Certivo validates the same supplier evidence against UK MSA, Australian Modern Slavery Act, Canadian FLFCLA, German LkSG, EU CSDDD, and UFLPA simultaneously. One supplier submission powers multi-jurisdiction reporting—eliminating duplicate campaigns and ensuring consistent due diligence evidence across all human rights and supply chain due diligence frameworks.