MUNICH--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Slavery was abolished centuries ago. Yet human trafficking continues around the world. It’s a 21st century problem that demands a 21st Century solution. And Ariba, an SAP SE (NYSE:SAP) company and Made in a Free World, today announced plans to deliver one by combining the world’s largest business network and most comprehensive forced labor database to help companies detect and mitigate slavery in their global supply chains. The news came during Ariba LIVE, the premier business commerce event taking place this week in Munich.
“Slave and child labor is rampant in supply chains around the world. But it doesn’t have to be,” says Justin Dillion, Founder and CEO of Made in a Free World, a network of individuals, groups, and businesses working together to disrupt slavery and make freedom work. “We live in a digitally connected and data-driven economy. And we have the tools and information needed to uncover and end it.”
In joining forces, Ariba and Made in a Free World aim to get these tools in the hands of the world’s leading and largest corporations who can use them to make a difference.
With more than 1.8 million companies in 190 countries, the Ariba Network is the largest, most global business-to-business trading platform on the planet. Some of the most powerful brands in the world – including 76 percent of the Global 2000 - use the Ariba Network to connect with their global supply chains.
“Together, these companies have the power to resolve one of the greatest human rights challenges of our time,” says Chris Haydon, Senior Vice President of Product Management, Ariba. “And this is exactly what we hope to empower them to do through our partnership with Made in a Free World.”
A Modern Solution to an Age-Old Problem
There are an estimated 20 million to 30 million forced laborers in global supply chains today – from conflict minerals in the Congo to fishing in Thailand to migrant workers in the United States and North America. And legislation stretching from the US to the UK and beyond is requiring businesses to provide greater transparency into their supply chains and validate that their suppliers’ suppliers are providing fair wages and fair labor practices.
“Companies are now being held accountable, not just for their supply chain, but for their sub-tier supply chain,” Dillon says. “And this requires a completely new level of information and transparency.”
In combining the Ariba Network – and the more than 16 years of transactional, relationship, and community-generated content that reside on it - with Made in a Free World’s FRDM® database, which maps the bill of materials of countless number of products and services right down to their raw materials and labor inputs, companies can gain these insights and transparency and leverage them to:
- Evaluate their spending and supply chain against the FRDM database and get a view into areas where forced labor might exist.
- Be alerted to potential future risks by triangulating a myriad of inputs – like supplier performance ratings, payment history, etc.
- Identify alternative sources of supply with supply chain transparency and fair labor practices to help mitigate these risks.
- Access category-specific playbooks that provide a framework for detecting forced labor and outline actions to remediate it.
“In harnessing the connectivity and intelligence of networks like Ariba and Made in a Free World, companies can make more informed decisions about their supply chains that not only help their business, but make the world a better place,” says Haydon. “ This isn’t just a huge opportunity, it’s a responsibility. Because at the end of the day, you can outsource processes and manufacturing, but you can’t outsource accountability.”
To learn more about how Ariba and Made in a Free World can help your organization, visit: http://ari.ba/madeinafreeworld.
About Ariba, an SAP Company
Ariba is the world’s business
commerce network. Ariba combines industry-leading cloud-based
applications with the world's largest web-based trading community to
help companies discover and collaborate with a global network of
partners. Using the Ariba® Network, businesses of all sizes
can connect to their trading partners anywhere, at any time from any
application or device to buy, sell and manage their cash more
efficiently and effectively than ever before. Companies around the world
use the Ariba Network to simplify inter-enterprise commerce
and enhance the results that they deliver. Join them at: www.ariba.com.
About SAP
As market leader in enterprise application
software, SAP (NYSE: SAP) helps companies of all sizes and industries
run better. From back office to boardroom, warehouse to storefront,
desktop to mobile device – SAP empowers people and organizations to work
together more efficiently and use business insight more effectively to
stay ahead of the competition. SAP applications and services enable more
than 291,000 customers to operate profitably, adapt continuously, and
grow sustainably. For more information, visit www.sap.com.
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