Intrepid Travel and Australia-based travel agency Flight Centre are taking a stand against modern-day slavery by launching a new consortium — with a purpose.
Aimed at “measuring and addressing modern slavery supply chain risks across the industry,” the Travel Consortium will engage with tier one suppliers (partners a company does business with directly) through an annual online assessment that will identify risks, understand suppliers’ needs, and provide the support and tools necessary to improve their own practices and those within their network of partners. The consortium is open to all travel and tourism companies that have reporting obligations related to modern slavery (whether legislated or voluntary).
Our Analysis: Modern Slavery Is Not Being Adequately Addressed in Any Industry
Human rights group Walk Free estimates that 50 million people around the world are impacted by modern slavery, a term that refers to “situations of exploitation that a person cannot refuse or leave because of threats, violence, coercion, deception and abuse of power.” And whether they are aware of it, every company — including those in the travel industry — is at risk of being involved, even if indirectly through a partner.
In particular, supply chains (which can include companies that produce physical products such as souvenirs, those that provide hospitality services and more) represent an area of great risk, due to a lack of transparency and access to resources, making it imperative to dig deeper into the practices in use among partners. Suppliers who choose to take an active role in eradicating exploitative behavior are not just demonstrating a commitment to human rights and responsible tourism, but are also setting an example that other industries should follow.
Fast Facts: Rollout Has Already Begun
- Modern slavery can include forced labor, debt bondage, forced marriage and human trafficking.
- The new consortium was established through Informed365, which develops corporate social responsibility platforms.
- Suppliers will only need to complete the survey once, and can then elect for it to be shared with other business partners. This will reduce the burden for suppliers and issues of compliance.
- Intrepid and Flight Centre have already started rolling out the surveys and tools to their own global suppliers.
What They Are Saying: The Travel industry Can Be a Catalyst for Change
“For so long, businesses in every industry have ignored or fallen short of addressing the risks of modern slavery in their supply chains,” said Sara King, general manager of purpose for Intrepid Travel. “The reality is, we are our suppliers, and we hope the tourism industry can lead this change in mindset for businesses everywhere, to protect vulnerable people and communities around the world.”
