“… where you invest your resources and energy matters. Strong stewardship involves asking not ‘what actions you took?’, but rather, ‘what you achieved as a result of those actions?’ Action is a choice. And so is inaction.“

– Chris Evans Anti Slavery Commissioner

Are you an investment company wondering how to identify which portfolio companies are effectively managing modern slavery risks, and which are just ticking boxes?

Do you want to ensure that your ESG strategy drives positive social impact and de-risks your investments?

If so, you are in the right place. In this article, you’ll learn why working with survivor-led ethical business advisors gives you an unmatched edge in assessing, mitigating, and remediating modern slavery risk.

By the end, you’ll be able to decide how to elevate your engagement and choose a partner whose work directly supports the recovery of survivors here in Australia and overseas.

At the Australian Council of Superannuation Investment conference, Australia’s Anti-Slavery Commissioner reinforced the value of ethical investment. He urged investors to “work with companies that understand the risks of modern slavery and the opportunity to positively impact lives and create long-term value.“

Investors – Why Taking Action on Modern Slavery Risk Matters!

Modern slavery is no longer a peripheral ethical concern. It is a material business risk. With over 50 million people in modern slavery globally and $468 billion in at-risk goods imported by G20 countries each year, the exposure in investment portfolios is real and growing (Global Slavery Index 2023).

As the Anti-Slavery Commissioner rightly stated: ‘the focus is shifting from intent to impact. Investors are expected not only to ask what steps their investee companies are taking, but also whether those steps are meaningfully preventing harm and improving conditions for vulnerable workers.‘

There Are Many Ways to Start — But Not Taking Action Isn’t One of Them

Investment firms today have a growing array of tools and frameworks at their disposal to assess and address modern slavery risks:

• Third-party audits can help verify supplier practices, especially when scoped beyond Tier 1.

• Technology solutions such as supply chain mapping platforms and risk-screening apps (like FRDM, Sourcemap, Sedex or Fair Supply) provide valuable visibility.

• Data partnerships and benchmarks, such as Walk Free’s Modern Slavery Index or Monash University’s Modern Slavery Disclosure Quality Ratings, offer comparative insights.

• Consultancies and legal firms provide tailored advisory services to meet legislative requirements and ESG goals.

Each of these approaches has merit, but none alone is sufficient.

Modern slavery is a complex. It is often a hidden crime that cannot be solved by audits or compliance alone. Achieving real impact demands a blend of tools, human rights expertise, stakeholder engagement, and most critically, guidance from those with lived experience of exploitation.

 

Leading Investors Are Already Moving

In the past 12 months, leading Australian super funds have made powerful statements in favour of more robust human rights due diligence and deeper collaboration with ethical business advisors. Many are now embedding modern slavery considerations into investment screens, stewardship frameworks, and engagement strategies.

But real leadership is not just about avoiding reputational risk, it’s about using capital influence to drive transformation. As expectations rise from regulators, civil society, and consumers, investors who act early and thoughtfully will be the ones to shape the future of ethical investment.

If you’re an investor looking to align with world-best practice and future-fit ESG performance, here’s why partnering with The Freedom Hub Ethical Business Services will give you the answer Chris Evans is asking: What did you achieve as a result of your anti-slavery actions?

Actions for Investors to Take

👉 Survivor-led insights that drive real change. Our advice is guided by our experience working with hundreds of modern slavery survivors in our Survivor School. We also have a Survivor Advisory Board that will assist you by bringing lived experience to risk assessments, remediation roadmaps and ethical governance, a unique and deeply impactful perspective.

👉 Proven experience with corporate Australia. We’ve worked with many ASX-listed companies and global brands to go beyond compliance, building modern slavery strategies that are UNGP-aligned and tailored for sector-specific risk exposure.

👉 We de-risk your portfolio. TFH helps investors identify red flags below Tier 1, assess supplier due diligence quality (using Monash Disclosure Ratings), and strengthen ESG outcomes across your portfolio companies. We bring real case studies to our workshops to engage employees with actual industry examples of modern slavery.

👉 Direct social impact with every dollar spent. ALL profits from our work go directly into programs that support survivors of slavery in Australia to rebuild their lives. Your fees fund tangible social outcomes and make your modern slavery statement stronger.

👉 Access to Australia’s top networks for remediation. We are embedded in Commonwealth working groups, NGO networks and global forums, meaning your investee companies are guided by best-in-class remediation and grievance practices from day one.

It’s Time for Investors to Move from Awareness to Impact

By now, you’ve seen the tools, the urgency, and the opportunity. Modern slavery risk is not just a compliance box, it’s a leadership moment.

Investors who elevate their engagement, ask the hard questions, and align with trusted, survivor-informed partners are not just safeguarding long-term value. Further, they are actively restoring freedom, dignity, and opportunity to lives that have been exploited in the shadows of our economy.

You get to decide: Will your ESG strategy truly change lives? What will you achieve?

Partnering with The Freedom Hub Ethical Business Services means every step you take toward stronger risk management also helps survivors rebuild, recover, and thrive. That is direct impact and action!

Book a discovery call with our team today to learn how we can support your investment strategy, engage your portfolio companies with confidence, and deliver the kind of impact that regulators, stakeholders, and survivors are looking for.

👉 Discovery Call

👉 Website

Review –

“During FY23 we had the benefit of engaging with The Freedom Hub, a non-profit organisation who have over 20 years of experience working with survivors of slavery in Australia and collaborating with Australian businesses to promote a survivor-centred response to modern slavery. Over a number of months, The Freedom Hub helped us carry out a gap analysis on our modern slavery work in ANZ, using the Australian Modern Slavery Act 2018, providing improvement opportunities across all seven criteria. The Freedom Hub also completed a peer benchmarking using the Corporate Human Rights benchmark from the World Alliance, benchmarking 41 data points across five categories: governance, due diligence, remediation, performance and accusation.

We then held a workshop for our modern slavery working group to consider and discuss outcomes of the gap analysis and benchmarking to refine our future activity and approach. As a result, we have now established a blueprint to guide our activities from FY24 to FY27 under the categories of prevention, risk assessment, and mitigation and remediation. ”
– Reece Group Modern Slavery Statement 2022-2023