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Your Modern Slavery Statement Might Be Legal – But Is It Meaningful?

Every year, more companies are caught flat-footed by a requirement that’s been around for nearly a decade: the UK Modern Slavery Act. It sounds bureaucratic. It’s easy to assume you don’t need to worry about it. But if you’re a business operating in the UK with a turnover of £36 million or more – or if you sell to one that does – you’re in scope. No exceptions.

And yet, a shocking number of businesses either publish vague, low-effort statements or skip it altogether. That’s not just risky. It’s a missed opportunity.

The missed opportunity behind a legal checkbox

Modern Slavery Statements are too often treated as another tick-box exercise. A paragraph or two on policies. A few lines about supply chains. No follow-up. No ownership. No change.

But here’s the thing: when done properly, these statements can become more than a legal requirement – they can become a credible signal of intent. They show your business takes human rights seriously. That you’re doing the work. That you’re not just paying lip service to ESG goals.

They also help your teams. A good statement forces a company to map what it actually knows about its suppliers. It creates accountability. It opens up a discussion that many procurement teams haven’t had before: how do we know what’s happening beyond Tier 1? Are our auditors flagging concerns? Do we have the right tools in place?

What a good statement looks like

You don’t need a team of lawyers to get this right. But you do need to be specific.

A good Modern Slavery Statement should do a few simple things:

  • Set out who’s responsible internally and what’s been done so far.
  • Flag actual risks, not just policies.
  • Share tangible steps taken over the past 12 months – and what’s planned next.
  • Include KPIs, targets, and lessons learned.

If that sounds like a lot – it is. But that’s exactly why we created a free Modern Slavery Statement Template.

Our free template: Designed by experts. Made for doers.

We work with global retailers, manufacturers, and logistics groups navigating complex supply chains. Over the years, we’ve seen what works and what doesn’t – and we’ve built this template to help companies avoid common mistakes.

It includes:

  • A clear structure aligned with the Modern Slavery Act’s core areas
  • Editable guidance notes to help you fill in each section meaningfully
  • Sample KPIs and tangible examples of actions
  • Prompts for board sign-off and public disclosure

It’s been designed to support companies at all stages – whether you’re publishing your first statement or refreshing your tenth.

No paywall. Just real support.

We’re not putting this behind a form or a webinar. We’re giving it away directly.

If you want the template, comment “Statement” on our LinkedIn post and we’ll send it to you.

Because getting started shouldn’t be the hard part. And compliance shouldn’t drain your team’s time or budget when practical, thoughtful resources exist.

And if you’re looking for more than a template we’d love to hear from you.

Verisio works with businesses at every stage of their ESG journey, from first steps to advanced supplier oversight. Whether you’re building a strategy, rolling out audits, or simply trying to get organised, we’re here to help.

Get in touch to explore how we can support your next step.