Sustainability and Social Responsibility

Examining Modern Slavery Statements of Global Fashion Brands Using Text Mining 

---

Abstract

Modern slavery remains prevalent in global fashion supply chains, prompting regulations requiring brands to publish modern slavery statements (MSS). This study applies text mining to analyze MSS from 31 global fashion companies, examining 413 pages of reports from 2019 to 2024. Grounded in the moral responsibility of corporate sustainability (MRCS) theory, we developed a modern slavery themes dictionary using Latent Dirichlet Allocation and expert review, identifying 15 themes across four primary duties: Responsible & Ethical Sourcing, Preventing Modern Slavery & Ensuring Fair Labor Practices, Capacity Building & Remediation, and Supply Chain Disclosure & Reporting. Findings reveal companies predominantly emphasize risk assessment and policies & governance while significantly underreporting remediation mechanisms. Company size and geographic location influence reporting comprehensiveness more than product category. This study exposes a critical gap between corporate policy commitments and operational implementation, offering practical implications for companies, investors, policymakers, and consumers evaluating corporate anti-slavery performance.

Keywords: Modern Slavery, Fashion Industry, Text Mining, Supply Chain Transparency, Corporate Sustainability, Ethical Sourcing

How to Cite:

Sheikh, M. & Su, J., (2025) “Examining Modern Slavery Statements of Global Fashion Brands Using Text Mining ”, International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings 82(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/itaa.21741