The report said when senior leaders were more engaged in anti-slavery issues, more resources were allocated to addressing the problem. It also said senior leaders had a key role in formalizing objectives and ensuring responsibility is shared throughout the business.

When it came to addressing slavery, a fifth of respondents said their chairman was involved, a fifth said their COO was and 15 percent cited their CFO. The survey found procurement was actively involved in addressing modern slavery at 61 percent of firms.

The survey included 71 brands across different sectors, chosen because of their reputation as being leaders in ethical trade or because they have expressed a public commitment to addressing modern slavery. The report also conducted in-depth interviews with 25 of these companies.

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