Investor Due Diligence On Modern Slavery

Below is an excerpt from ISS ESG’s thought leadership paper “Investor Due Diligence On Modern Slavery.” The full paper is available for download from the Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) online library.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• There are clear moral, reputational, financial and regulatory imperatives for investors to address the global human rights crisis of modern slavery.
• Recent investor initiatives including investor coalitions; increasing support for shareholder proposals on social issues; and active engagement with portfolio companies on human rights, have highlighted the significant leverage investors have in influencing companies to meet their responsibilities under international norms and guidelines.
• ISS Governance research indicates a quadrupling of U.S. shareholder proposals on the issue of modern slavery over the last five years.
• ISS ESG has a range of tools available to support investors to identify, mitigate and act on modern slavery risks in their portfolios.