New UK Supply Chain Law Will Hit Companies Worldwide

The UK law is similar to a supply chain law already enacted by the State of California. Both require companies to disclose what they are doing to ensure that forced labor and human trafficking do not occur within their business and their supply chains. But the newly enacted U.K. Modern Slavery Act of 2015, which is expected to go into effect this fall, does differ from the California law in some important respects. One is that it will affect a wider range of companies. The California law applies only to retailers and manufacturers doing business in California, while the U.K. law applies to companies that supply goods or services and “carry on a business, or part of a business in the U.K.” Nixon Peabody attorneys Cameron R. Cloar-Zavaleta and Danielle Kleinman suggest that companies determine as soon as possible if they will be covered by the UK law, and they provide some tips on compliance.