ESG and modern slavery certification for Australian businesses
A customer, tender, bank or head contractor has asked for evidence of how you manage ESG and modern slavery risk. We help you get certified, with the evidence to back it up.
CFO Evolve is an accredited ESG Verified consultant. We review your evidence, fix the gaps and take you from Level 1 to Level 2 certification.
What is modern slavery certification?
Modern slavery certification is evidence-based confirmation that your business has the policies, risk assessment, supplier checks and contract terms in place to identify and address modern slavery in its operations and supply chain. Modern slavery covers practices such as forced labour, debt bondage, deceptive recruitment and the worst forms of child labour.
With ESG Verified, your evidence is checked against set requirements and you receive a certificate and a public verification page. Customers and buyers can check that page at any time, so you can answer a supplier questionnaire with proof rather than a promise.
Do we need modern slavery certification if we're under the reporting threshold?
Often, yes. The Modern Slavery Act 2018 (Cth) requires businesses with annual consolidated revenue of AU$100 million or more to report on modern slavery risks in their operations and supply chains. To do that, those businesses ask their suppliers for evidence.
That means smaller businesses that are not required to report are still asked to show how they manage the risk if they want to win or keep work with larger customers. Certification gives you one clear answer to give every customer who asks.
What is ESG certification, and how is it different?
ESG certification covers how a business manages its environmental, social and governance practices. Modern slavery sits within the social part, but it is usually asked about on its own because of the legal reporting obligations on larger businesses.
With ESG Verified you choose which areas are in scope: governance, social, environmental and modern slavery. Many businesses start with governance, social and modern slavery, which are the areas customers most often ask about, and add environmental later.
Who is asking for ESG and Modern Slavery Certification, and why?
The requests usually come from four places:
Larger customers that must report under the Modern Slavery Act and need evidence from their suppliers
Government buyers, whose tenders increasingly include modern slavery and ESG questions
Banks and lenders, which look at governance and supply chain risk when lending
Head contractors and developers, which pass these requirements down to the businesses that supply and work for them
In each case they want the same thing: evidence that the risk is understood and managed, not a policy written the night before a tender closes.
How does certification work?
Certification with ESG Verified moves through three steps. Show these as a simple three-column row on the page.
-
Level 1, Ready. You load your evidence into the ESG Verified platform, where it is checked automatically against the requirements. Level 1 gives you a credible baseline for tenders and supplier questionnaires.
-
Our review. We review your Level 1 evidence, identify the gaps and agree the changes needed to meet Level 2.
-
Level 2, Compliant. Your evidence, including documented policies, supplier context and structured records, goes through dual sign-off at ESG Verified.
Certification is valid for 12 months and is renewed by refreshing your evidence each year.
What does CFO Evolve do to get us certified?
We work through your evidence the way a CFO works through a set of accounts. We check what is there, find what is missing or weak, and agree a practical plan to fix it.
That usually covers your governance documents, modern slavery policy, supplier list, risk assessment and supplier contract clauses. We then help you put the changes in place so your evidence stands up at Level 2, and so you can answer the next customer or tender question with confidence.
How long does it take, and what does it cost?
Most of the time depends on how much evidence you already hold. A typical review and Level 2 preparation takes two to three weeks from the start of our review.
Our fee for the review is agreed upfront after a short initial call. ESG Verified's certification fees are separate and published on its website.
Is certification the same as an audit?
No. ESG Verified certification is evidence-based verification: your documents and records are checked against set requirements. It is not a financial audit or a formal assurance opinion.
For most supplier questionnaires and tenders, that is what customers want to see: clear, current evidence that can be checked.
Does certification have to cover environmental?
No. You choose which areas are in scope: governance, social, environmental and modern slavery. Your certificate shows which areas it covers, so customers can see exactly what has been verified.
If environmental reporting matters to your customers, it can be added at your next renewal.
Case study: How we took Tama Services to Level 2 certification
The challenge. A major customer asked Tama Services for evidence of how it manages modern slavery risk in its supply chain.
What we did. We reviewed Tama Services' Level 1 evidence on ESG-Verified, identified a number of inconsistencies and gaps across the nominated domains of Environmental, Social and Governance and agreed a plan with the leadership team to close them. Tama Services reviewed the items and updated the documents and policies. A subsequent review confirmed all outstanding items were resolved with the structured evidence approved. With L1 approvals and L2 consultant approvals now in place L2 ESG Verified Certification could take place.
The outcome. Tama Services achieved ESG Verified Level 2 certification for Environmental, Social and Governance in October 2026, and now answers customer and tender questions with a public certificate.