What’s already happening in business and policy BOX 2 –Corporate action: Many leading companies have embedded human rights due diligence, supplier codes of conduct and responsible recruitment policies across their global operations and supply chains. –Industry collaboration: Sector alliances (e.g. apparel, electronics, agriculture) are developing shared tools for audits, worker voice amplification and grievance management. –Government frameworks: National laws and trade policies increasingly require supply chain transparency and forced labour risk reporting. –International cooperation: The ILO, International Organization for Migration (IOM) and other United Nations (UN) partners coordinate technical assistance, global estimates and standards alignment. Why it still matters: Despite these advances, most systems rely on disconnected data sources, creating duplication and information gaps. A trusted and interoperable model of collaboration is needed to connect existing efforts, transforming parallel initiatives into shared visibility.(EU), and due-diligence legislation in Germany, France, Norway and Switzerland are strong external drivers of change.11,12 Legislative progress across East Asia, South-East Asia and the Gulf Cooperation Council has added further momentum, while hundreds of global brands invest in worker voice platforms and traceability technologies.13,14 Each of these efforts generates vast amounts of data, on suppliers, recruitment, enforcement and worker conditions, but most of it remains locked within institutional boundaries or incompatible systems.These advances have built essential momentum in addressing forced labour, yet progress remains insufficient. Most systems still operate independently, limiting the ability to see risks across supply chains or act on them collectively. Even where strong commitment exists, the information and tools needed for coordinated, system-level action remain dispersed across stakeholders, who often do not (or, in some cases, cannot) collaborate openly due to commercial, political or reputational sensitivities. Global supply chains connect millions of enterprises and hundreds of millions of workers, but data and information about labour conditions within them is uneven, siloed and often inaccessible. Governments collect inspection and migration data; businesses gather audit and supplier information; non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and trade unions document worker experiences and grievances. Global estimates, statistical guidelines, academic research, grievance mechanisms and digital platforms have expanded the overall data landscape.15 Each source offers great value on its own, yet rarely interacts with others.16 This fragmentation makes it difficult to consistently and reliably identify patterns of risk, target prevention efforts or measure progress effectively.17 The result is an incomplete picture of the issue at hand and limited collective capacity to prevent it.1.2 The structural roots of fragmentation: Data, incentives, trust and governance gaps Harnessing Data and Intelligence for Collective Advantage: Ending Forced Labour in Global Supply Chains 6

Harnessing Data and Intelligence for Collective Advantage 2026