Acquisition Helps Data Flow to Fight Modern Slavery

Paris-based sustainability intelligence platform EcoVadis has acquired human rights technology and analytics company Ulula, which operates an on-the-ground worker engagement platform. The buy will strengthen the two firms' mission to promote fair employment and combat modern slavery.

EcoVadis aims to embed sustainability intelligence into every business decision worldwide. Its actionable ratings, risk and carbon management tools help businesses in 180 countries to ensure they comply with ESG regulations, reduce GHG emissions and improve the sustainability performance of their business and value chain.

Ulula's technology connects organizations directly with workers and project-affected stakeholders on the ground via a variety of online and off-line communication channels and in 'any' language, ensuring 'that stakeholders have access to safe and secure feedback channels regardless of their network connectivity, digital literacy or language'. Since its founding in 2015 the firm has helped more than 150 companies in nearly 70 countries reach more than 4 million workers in supply chains across the globe. Ulula is based in Toronto, Canada.

ILO data estimates some 28 million men, women and children are in conditions of forced labor globally in the private economy - largely business supply chains. The Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) will soon require all EU companies and all non-EU companies with more than 450 million euros of turnover in Europe to implement grievance mechanisms for their supply chain by 2029, with penalties of up to 5% of global turnover for non-compliance. EcoVadis says the Ulula buy will bring automated workforce surveys, grievance management systems and analytics dashboards: these will help it to 'eliminate information gaps' by enabling recurring, on-the-ground feedback from workers and communities on labor and human rights conditions.

Antoine Heuty (pictured), founder and CEO of Ulula, comments: 'Ulula and EcoVadis share an ambition to confront and accelerate progress on the devastating scope of threats to human rights and working conditions across global supply chains. Joining forces will enable us to combine Ulula's direct labor and human rights data collection and reliable insights with EcoVadis' global platform and network to accelerate positive impact at unprecedented scale'.

The companies have drawn up a joint roadmap which aims to have a consolidated product offering ready in advance of new legislation.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Web sites are at www.ecovadis.com and www.ulula.com .