Slave-Free Alliance Members Among the Most Improved: Insights from the 2025 CCLA Modern Slavery UK Benchmark

The 2025 CCLA Modern Slavery UK Benchmark was officially launched at the Slave-Free Alliance (SFA) Annual Conference on 20 November 2025, providing a timely snapshot of how the UK’s largest listed businesses are progressing in their efforts to find, fix, and prevent modern slavery. While there are encouraging signs of improvement, with several SFA members making above-average progress in tackling modern slavery, the benchmark makes one thing clear: most organisations remain focused on compliance rather than meaningful action and measurable outcomes. 

UK-Wide Results: Steady Improvement, but Inaction Persists 

The national picture this year shows incremental progress, with more businesses taking steps upward: 

• 60 companies improved their scores compared to 2024 

• 22 companies moved up a tier 

• 12 companies achieved Tier 1, demonstrating genuine leadership on modern slavery 

Although disclosures are improving, the benchmark highlights that many organisations continue to fall short in translating policies into real-world impact. This year’s findings underline a widening divide between what companies say and what they do: 

• 48 companies disclosed responsible procurement policies, but only 9 explained how they put them into practice 
• Only 23 reported identifying a case of modern slavery 
• Just 1 company confirmed that victims were satisfied with remediation 
• Remediation remains the weakest area overall, with an average score of 1.5 / 8 

Sector performance in the Benchmark shows clear leaders, laggards, and emerging signs of momentum. The highest-scoring sectors are Consumer Staples, Materials, and Utilities, while Energy and Construction rank among the lowest-scoring.  

Overall, these results reinforce a key message: transparency about policies does not equal effective action. Companies still struggle to operationalise due diligence, identify real risks, and provide meaningful remediation to victims. 

How SFA Members Performed

Against this national backdrop, SFA members within the benchmark performed strongly, significantly outperforming average scores and demonstrating leadership in their industries. 

• 82% of SFA members ranked in Tiers 1 and 2 

• 92% of SFA members improved their scores 

• All in scope members ranked in Tiers 1–3, with none in Tier 4 

• Three members moved up a tier from 2024 to 2025: 

• Sage Group climbed from Tier 4 to Tier 3 since beginning its membership with SFA and was recognised as one of the top five most improved companies, reflecting major progress in governance, risk assessment, and supplier engagement 

• Admiral climbed from Tier 3 to Tier 2 since joining SFA 

• Schroders Investment Management rose from Tier 3 to Tier 2, which follows SFA’s support in improving its statement in recent years          

We are also incredibly proud to have two long-term partnerships with companies that have consistently been at the forefront of human rights innovation:  

• Imperial Brands maintained Tier 1 and even improved its score within this tier 

• Kingfisher has achieved Tier 1 for every year of the benchmark and is one of the most consistent performers in the UK

 

The majority of SFA members in the benchmark, including AstraZeneca, Centrica, Compass Group, Haleon, National Grid, SSE, Severn Trent, and United Utilities, maintained their strong Tier 2 performance for several consecutive years, and others, such as Aviva, improved their scores within their tier.  

These results show that sustained investment in modern slavery prevention leads to long-term, measurable impact, and SFA members are not only keeping pace with the national trend but also leading it. 

In addition, the benchmark shows clear evidence that companies partnering with human rights experts such as SFA make stronger progress, with many advancing in best-practice areas such as worker voice and survivor-centred remediation 

This reinforces the benefits specialist collaborations deliver in real results, particularly in high-risk and complex supply chains. 

The Bigger Picture: Leadership Is Possible, but More Action Is Needed 

The 2025 benchmark reinforces the need for UK companies to move beyond policy disclosure and demonstrate real-world impact. Investors, regulators, and stakeholders increasingly expect companies to: 

• Identify genuine cases of modern slavery 

• Provide survivor-centred remediation 

• Implement long-term, effective due diligence 

• Report transparently on outcomes, not just commitments 

While many organisations are still early in their journey, SFA members show that progress and leadership are both possible and scalable. 

Looking Ahead – Regulatory Changes in the UK and Future CCLA Benchmarks
 

CCLA’s 2025 benchmark comes at a pivotal time for business, marked by the UK Home Office’s publication of new Statutory Guidance for Transparency in Supply Chains (TISC) for modern slavery statements, with the focus shifting firmly from policy disclosure to demonstrated impact. SFA is supporting a growing number of members in meeting the elevated expectations outlined in the TISC guidance in their statements.  

This year’s CCLA Benchmark scores reflect this by highlighting which businesses are beginning to adopt more substantive and accountable practices, such as reporting real cases, providing survivor-centred remediation, and evidencing the effectiveness of their due diligence systems.  

 The 2026 CCLA Modern Slavery Benchmark will further align with the new standards TISC guidance. Dame Sara Thornton, CCLA Modern Slavery Director and former Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner, emphasised the importance of expert collaboration, including with Slave Free Alliance (SFA), in shaping the benchmark at SFA’s Annual Conference. 

“We wanted to ensure we brought together a group of experts to inform that work and provide a degree of scrutiny, and it has been great that Slave-Free Alliance have been part of that expert advisory group.” 

SFA contributed expertise drawn from extensive cross-sector engagement spanning recruitment, retail, finance, construction, utilities, waste management, hospitality and more, to the development of the benchmark and broader stakeholder discussions. 

Dame Thornton said, “The broad experience of Slave-Free Alliance dealing with many companies provided extremely helpful insights into how the benchmark is currently operating and how it can be improved.” 

Conclusion

The 2025 CCLA Modern Slavery UK Benchmark paints a mixed picture for the UK: slow progress overall, but pockets of excellence among committed organisations. SFA members stand out as a group that is consistently performing above the national average, moving up tiers, strengthening systems, and demonstrating what practical, meaningful action looks like. 

As expectations on businesses rise, SFA will continue to support organisations in turning policies into action and action into impact. 

Businesses seeking tailored guidance on meeting the new expectations outlined in the TISC guidance and improving their CCLA Benchmark tier can learn more by contacting SFA about consultancy and learning services at info@slavefreealliance.org.