Engagement at the Responsible Business Alliance Annual Summit

Better Trade Collective participated in the Responsible Business Alliance Annual Summit — a gathering of companies, auditors, investors, CSOs, and government partners focused on responsible sourcing and recruitment, particularly in the electronics and technology sectors.

The Summit highlighted several trends shaping corporate approaches to forced labor:

1. Increased urgency around forced labor enforcement

Companies are navigating rapidly evolving regulatory landscapes, including enforcement of Section 307 of the U.S. Tariff Act, Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, EU Forced Labor Regulation and due diligence requirements, and global reporting obligations.

2. Growing focus on responsible recruitment

Many companies acknowledged the continued need to eliminate recruitment fees, strengthen monitoring of labor brokers, and invest in safe, transparent migration pathways.

  1. Demand for practical, worker-centered solutions

Across sessions, companies expressed a need for approaches that move past compliance checklists and instead support real visibility, grievance pathways, and remediation that meaningfully improves worker outcomes.

4. Collaboration as a driver of progress

The Summit reinforced that no single actor, whether business, government, or civil society, can solve recruitment abuses alone. Multi-stakeholder engagement remains essential.

Meaningful progress requires aligning corporate responsibility, public policy, and worker empowerment. Compliance may set the floor, but it is worker-informed practices that drive lasting change.

With increasing regulatory pressure, heightened public expectations, and growing recognition of worker voice as a core component of due diligence, organizations are seeking guidance that is practical, credible, and actionable.

Better Trade Collective remains committed to supporting companies, investors, and institutions as they navigate these challenges and build processes that prevent and remediate forced labor by elevating workers’ ability to speak and be heard.