FEWER than a quarter of UK companies have detected forced labour in their supply chains, it was announced on Wednesday.

The pilot Global Modern Slavery Benchmark, published by the investment company CCLA, which is owned by church, charity, and local-authority investment funds, assesses corporate performance against statutory requirements, government guidance, and human-rights standards. The report has appeared as Britain marks the tenth anniversary of the UK Modern Slavery Act.

It found that, of the 100 largest global companies providing goods and services to the UK, only 23 disclosed finding a case of modern slavery; and just one could confirm that survivors were satisfied with actions taken by the company in redress.

The financial and energy sectors scored the lowest, and the consumer staples and material sectors the highest. Cisco Systems, Costco, and Nestlé were the best-performing companies. Four firms scored less than 12 out of a maximum of 62 points. UK companies scored an average of 36, against global companies on 32.

Around 28 million people are believed to be working in conditions of forced labour worldwide. It is reported to have generated $US236 billion in illegal profits for the private sector over the past decade.

The CEO of CCLA, Peter Hugh Smith, said: “Modern slavery is endemic, but companies can play a vital role in changing victims’ lives for the better. The true measure of a company is not whether there is forced labour within their supply chains, but how robustly they look for it, and what they do when they find it.”

The Benchmark report seeks to empower faith institutions and their investment teams to banish modern slavery.