PROFILE
Establishment ( BRE ) Director Dr Shamir Ghumra . “ When we start to question where have these things come from , who has touched these things , and what conditions were these people working in , we are trying to raise the awareness of these issues . This is paramount , and I think the modern slavery act has really opened up that conversation .”
The Chartered Institute of Builders ( CIOB ) and the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply ( CIPS ) have become two of the most renowned institutions to raise awareness of modern slavery , in addition to a large number of organisations which actively advocate and educate individuals on how modern slavery can manifest within construction and building . Whilst it is not the expectation for companies to solve the issues overnight , Dr Ghumra adds : “ We have got to reconcile and understand what the challenges are for us to try and move forward , and a lot of it comes down to how do we build trust .”
Back in 2011 , BRE launched the BS 6001 standard regarding Responsible Sourcing of Construction Products , encompassing organisational management , supply chain management and environmental and social requirements , linking with sustainable initiatives . Working in collaboration with BRE , Loughborough University was granted confidential access to analyse which companies were participating with the standard in 2016 .
Whilst large companies were compliant , many SME ’ s were not . Whilst the standard provided a
10 July 2017