Initiative

CUMULUS Forced Labor Screen™

Using targeted remote assessments and shared labor supply chain data to assess forced labor and human trafficking risk.

Verité’s CUMULUS Forced Labor Screen™ uses patented technology to map cross-border labor supply chains and assess forced labor risks in individual workplaces. It gathers data on workforces, recruiters, and unethical recruitment and employment practices.

Two people in an office with laptops

Know your risk

Companies, suppliers, and investors use CUMULUS to conduct forced labor due diligence to align with best practice guidance, including the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Business Conduct.

Grounded in internationally recognized standards and practices, CUMULUS can be applied to virtually any sector, geography, or supply chain tier.

Key features

The membership-based platform proactively screens priority operations, supply chains, and investment portfolios for the presence of the International Labour Organization (ILO) forced labor indicators.

Data analysis dashboard and tools

Members access a private dashboard of reports and tools for reviewing forced labor risk data in supply chains, including risk profiles, key risks, workforce demographics, and other criteria.

Data sharing

Common exposure among members to validated risky practices and recruitment agents is shared across the platform on a source-redacted basis. This provides CUMULUS members with an otherwise unattainable level of insight into their risk exposure.

Subject matter experts

Each employer’s CUMULUS Due Diligence Assessment (DDA) response is reviewed by Verité subject matter experts who are trained and experienced in forced labor due diligence. A customized report is created for each employer screened.

Employer pays principle verification

Members can verify that employers in their own operations, supply chain, and investment portfolios pay recruitment fees and related costs in line with the Employer Pays Principle and best practices in forced labor due diligence.

How it works

1. Start with your dashboard

Each member has access to a private, web-based dashboard to facilitate data analysis and reporting. The screening process begins when CUMULUS members nominate employers in their supply chains that employ vulnerable populations of workers.

2. Submit employer assessment

Nominated employers complete a secure online Due Diligence Assessment (DDA). The DDA gathers data and documents on recruiters, the workforce population, and practices related to the recruitment, deployment, management, and repatriation of workers.

3. Review risks and recommendations

Analysts evaluate the employer’s DDA against the CUMULUS Risk Framework, a set of identifiers based on ILO forced labor indicators. A Due Diligence Report (DDR) is uploaded to the member’s dashboard containing detailed information on the risks identified alongside actionable recommendations.

4. Generate a risk profile

A comprehensive risk profile, including a detailed mapping of the labor supply chain, is generated for each entity involved in the recruitment and management of foreign workers.

5. Map and compare risks

Risks are plotted on a timeline that can be sorted by risk source, type, location, implicated entities, and date. DDR and employer data are supplemented by anonymized, source-redacted risk information common among CUMULUS members, as well as publicly available resources.

6. Benchmark across your supply chain

Members can use this analysis to explore risk at the supply chain level and benchmark entities. The data can be viewed through the lens of worker demographics, keys risks, and other criteria.

CUMULUS members use the platform to...

Prioritize

Prioritize entities for more in-depth due diligence activities, including audits and investigations.

Screen

Screen investment portfolios for forced labor risks as part of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) due diligence.

Identify

Identify the presence of ILO forced labor indicators and implement remedial and preventive measures.

Verify

Verify that employers pay recruitment-related fees in line with an ‘Employer Pays, No Fees to Workers’ model.

Inform

Inform engagement or capacity building interventions based on identified patterns and trends.

Monitor

Monitor the impact of remediation and prevention efforts.

Communicate

Communicate their forced labor due diligence to customers, investors, regulators, and other stakeholders.

Funding

The development of the CUMULUS Forced Labor Screen™ platform was funded with generous philanthropic support from the following partners.

Agnes Varis Trust

Agnes Varis Trust

The Walt Disney Company

The Walt Disney Company

Skoll Foundation

Skoll foundation

Walmart Foundation

Walmart Foundation

Humanity United

Humanity United

Get in touch

For more information about CUMULUS, contact our team.

Contact us