Survey of 110 companies finds most cannot demonstrate responsible sourcing im­prove­ments

Kumi's Responsible Sourcing Barometer 2026 is out. 

It is a confidential, cross-industry benchmarking survey of 110 medium to large enterprises that looks beyond public reporting to how companies actually run responsible sourcing and supply chain due diligence. It finds that despite heavy investment in policies, audits and governance, only 14% of companies can point to clear improvements from their programmes, and 25% do not measure programme impact at all. Due diligence also often stops too early: 24% have mapped only direct suppliers or none at all, and 18 of the 50 companies that flag forced or child labour as a significant risk do no due diligence beyond Tier 1, leaving blind spots where the most severe risks tend to sit. 

Source: adapted from Kumi, September 2026.