Introduction

This statement is made pursuant to Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015. It sets out the steps Lancaster University has taken, and will continue to take, to reduce the risk of modern slavery and human trafficking within our operations and supply chains.

The University is committed to acting ethically and with integrity in all business relationships. We continue to strengthen our systems, policies and partnerships to safeguard against any form of modern slavery.

Organisational structure

Lancaster University is a highly-ranked higher education institution in the UK, with approximately 18,000 students, operating internationally across our campuses and partnerships in the UK, Germany, Ghana, China, Indonesia and Malaysia. Our core activities include teaching, research, engagement and knowledge exchange.

We procure a wide range of goods and services to support our operations, such as IT equipment, laboratory consumables and equipment, estates and facilities management, catering, travel, and professional services.

Research

In 2024/25, Lancaster University strengthened its interdisciplinary research on modern slavery primarily through the Pentland Centre for Sustainability’s Modern Slavery, Justice and Complex Supply Chains Knowledge and Action Hub.

The Hub advanced projects on regulation, data, and AI. Research explored corporate reporting practices, regulatory effectiveness, migrant worker experiences, and remediation approaches across global supply chains.

Events and workshops fostered collaboration with business, policy, and civil society partners, reinforcing Lancaster’s position as a sector leader in developing practical, evidence-based responses to modern slavery.

Our policies on slavery and human trafficking

The University has the following policies relevant to the prevention of modern slavery.

• Procurement Policy - embedding sustainable and ethical procurement principles across all sourcing activity.
• Raising Serious Concerns and Disclosing Public Interest Matters (Whistleblowing) Policy - providing a safe mechanism for raising concerns about unethical or unlawful practices.
• Equality, Diversity and Inclusion is embedded in all relevant policies - supporting fair and equitable treatment for all individuals.

Understanding and managing supply chain risk

Our supply chains are diverse and global, reflecting the complexity of the higher education sector. We recognise our responsibility to manage social and ethical risks and have identified our key higher-risk areas including:

• ICT and electronics manufacturing;
• laboratory consumables;
• construction and estates projects;
• catering and food supply chains.

To manage these risks, we have implemented the following measures.

• Reviewing modern slavery risks during procurement planning - our tenders include a Responsible Procurement Checklist to identify and mitigate modern slavery risks. This informs the selection/award criteria and ongoing contract management.
• Due diligence and supplier onboarding - we operate a centralised procurement model. All requests for new suppliers are approved by the procurement team and prequalification checks are applied to higher-value or higher-risk requirements.
• Contract controls and monitoring - standard contract clauses require compliance with the Modern Slavery Act and cover 75% of spend overall, and over 90% in most of our higher risk categories.
• Supplier engagement - proactive engagement with suppliers in higher-risk sectors, using the NETPositive Futures Supplier Engagement Tool to record and review sustainability measures. Carrying out more detailed assessments with selected suppliers.
• Collaboration and sector partnerships- working with university purchasing consortia, Electronics Watch and HEPA (Higher Education Procurement Association.

Training and awareness

We continue to raise awareness and capability among staff involved in procurement and contract management including:

• sustainable procurement training is available to all staff, with enhanced training mandated for the central procurement team;
• guidance and resources promoted through internal communication and the staff intranet, supporting informed and ethical purchasing decisions.

Effectiveness of our actions and future plans

Over the past year we have:

• ensured that all new and renewed high-value contracts include modern slavery clauses and risk assessments;
• monitored supplier compliance through our contract management framework and the NETPositive Futures tool;
• strengthened supplier dialogue in higher-risk categories, leading to clearer transparency commitments and improved reporting;
• extended the reach of communication and training, increasing participation among departmental budget holders.

Over the coming year, we will:

• deepen engagement with suppliers in high-risk sectors through targeted 'deep dives' and collaboration with other institutions and Electronics Watch;
• strengthen contract management oversight, integrating modern slavery metrics into more regular supplier performance reviews;
• embed modern slavery awareness across the University, targeting staff involved in higher-risk areas;
• report and share progress publicly, contributing to collective learning across the higher education and public sectors.

Through these actions, Lancaster University aims not only to reduce the risk of modern slavery within its own operations and supply chains but also to play an active role in driving systemic change.

Approved by Council on 28 November 2025.