Prove your supply chain meets human-rights expectations
A limited-scope SEAM recognition for modern slavery, forced labor, and supply-chain human-rights due diligence — in commercial real estate operations and procurement.
What it recognizes
A defined scope of ethical procurement, independently reviewed
The Ethical Procurement Seal recognizes documented and implemented ethical procurement practices for modern slavery, forced labor, and supply-chain human-rights due diligence — within a defined Assessment Scope. The same Standard-based method applies whether the assessed party is a reporting entity, vendor, supplier, owner, manager, or investment manager. The Assessment Scope makes the boundary of the claim transparent to buyers, regulators, investors, and impacted parties.
For the generic Seal model — what every Seal is and isn't, how the award works, and how claims are bounded — see SEAM Seal overview.
Who it's for
Built for commercial real estate value chains
Reporting entities
Organizations with modern slavery, forced-labor, or supply-chain disclosure obligations.
Vendors and suppliers
Tier 1 vendors and suppliers to commercial real estate value chains.
Property owners and managers
Building owners and operators with tenant relationships or procurement responsibilities.
Investment managers
Funds and asset managers reviewing portfolio-level due diligence.
Framework alignment
Organize evidence for the frameworks you already report against
The Seal can support evidence organization for selected modern slavery, forced-labor, and supply-chain due-diligence frameworks identified in the Assessment Scope. It does not complete legal reporting obligations — your counsel does.
- Australian Modern Slavery Act 2018
- UK Modern Slavery Act 2015
- Canada Fighting Against Forced Labour and Child Labour in Supply Chains Act
- California Transparency in Supply Chains Act
- German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act
- French Duty of Vigilance Law
- Norwegian Transparency Act
- EU Forced Labour Regulation
- US Tariff Act Section 307 / UFLPA
- UNGPs · OECD · ILO forced-labor standards
Required Activity pathway
Eight grouped steps, apply to every assessed party
These Required Activities apply to every Ethical Procurement Seal review, regardless of profile. Activities are pulled directly from the SEAM Standard; pathway groupings follow the EP Program Guidance.
See all activities on the SEAM Standard01
Governance, scope, and value-chain mapping
Establish project understanding and governance, and map the value chain the assessed party operates within.
Establish project understanding and governance framework
Establishes project understanding and the governance framework for the reviewed scope.
View on the SEAM Standard →Map the proposed project value chain
Maps the proposed project value chain.
View on the SEAM Standard →02
Risk identification and exposure analysis
Identify and scope likely social and human-rights impacts, determine the social area of influence, and assemble baseline data.
Identify and scope the likely social and human rights impacts of the commercial real estate project
Identifies and scopes likely social and human-rights impacts.
View on the SEAM Standard →Determine the 'social area of influence' by identifying the likely impacted parties
Defines the social area of influence by identifying likely impacted parties.
View on the SEAM Standard →Assemble relevant baseline data for key social issues
Assembles baseline data for key social issues.
View on the SEAM Standard →03
Policy and procurement controls
Set ethical materials procurement governance and policy, ethical sourcing of products and materials, and site-specific social responsibility policies.
Only one site-specific policy Activity applies per assessed party: TGa3.1 for the construction-project phase (Buildings + Interiors), TGa3.2 for the operating asset (Operations + Maintenance).
Owner shall proactively specify ethical materials in design and planning documents
Ethical materials procurement governance and policy.
View on the SEAM Standard →Ethical sourcing of products and materials
Ethical sourcing of products and materials.
View on the SEAM Standard →Responsible Construction Governance
Site-specific social responsibility policies for the construction-project phase.
View on the SEAM Standard →Responsible Operations Governance
Site-specific social responsibility policies for the operating asset.
View on the SEAM Standard →04
Labor conditions in the assessed organization's own operations
Living wage and decent work conditions for the assessed party's own workforce.
05
Corrective action and remediation
Address identified impacts and remediate materials-procurement-related human-rights impacts.
Develop and implement ways of addressing impacts
Develop and implement ways of addressing identified impacts.
View on the SEAM Standard →Owner shall remediate materials procurement negative impacts to human rights
Remediate materials-procurement-related human-rights impacts.
View on the SEAM Standard →06
Grievance, reporting, and transparency
Communicate externally about human-rights impacts, and operate a grievance mechanism for direct reporting of violations.
Communicate externally about human rights impacts and how the Project addresses them
Communicate externally about human-rights impacts and how the project addresses them.
View on the SEAM Standard →Establish a grievance mechanism for direct reporting of human rights violations to the enterprise
Operate a grievance mechanism for direct reporting of human-rights violations to the enterprise.
View on the SEAM Standard →07
Training and capability
Educate and train relevant procurement employees on human-rights standards.
08
Monitoring, effectiveness, and review
Implement ongoing social performance monitoring, plus periodic evaluation and review.
Develop and implement ongoing social performance monitoring plan that addresses obligations from the SIMP
Ongoing social performance monitoring plan.
View on the SEAM Standard →Undertake evaluation and periodic review (audit)
Periodic evaluation and review (audit).
View on the SEAM Standard →Activity-level requirements, indicators, scoring, and documentation are governed by the SEAM Standard. Read the Standard. Generic determination and public-claim limits for every Seal are on the Seal overview.
Scope-Triggered Activities
Proportionate due diligence, adapted to your scope
The Required Activities apply to every assessed party. These additional Activities apply only when your Assessment Scope includes the relevant supplier, tenant, impacted-party, or capacity-building condition.
Conduct a supply chain risk assessment and action plan
When it applies: Applies when the assessed party has Tier 1 Suppliers of goods or materials in scope.
View on the SEAM Standard →Living Wage Suppliers
When it applies: Applies when supplier living-wage expectations are in scope for Tier 1 Suppliers.
View on the SEAM Standard →Suppliers shall ensure decent work conditions
When it applies: Applies when supplier decent-work conditions are in scope for Tier 1 Suppliers.
View on the SEAM Standard →Owner shall remediate Supplier procurement negative impacts to human rights
When it applies: Applies when supplier procurement-related human-rights impacts have been identified or require review.
View on the SEAM Standard →Tenants shall provide a living wage
When it applies: Applies when tenant labor practices fall within the Assessment Scope.
View on the SEAM Standard →Tenants shall ensure decent work conditions
When it applies: Applies when tenant decent-work conditions fall within the Assessment Scope.
View on the SEAM Standard →Community Voice
When it applies: Applies when community members, occupants, residents, or other non-worker impacted parties need a project-level or asset-level grievance channel within the reviewed scope.
View on the SEAM Standard →Conduct educational sessions to share lessons learned + best practices on Human Rights in the commercial real estate industry
When it applies: Applies when the Assessment Scope includes external education, supplier capacity-building, or sector-level engagement.
View on the SEAM Standard →
Ethical Procurement Seal
per Seal · per Assessment Scope
- Scoped to one defined entity and period
- Independent review against the Seal pathway
- Aligns with UK / AU Modern Slavery Acts, UFLPA, UNGPs
- Activities count toward full Certification
- Member discount applies
What this Seal stands for
A SEAM Ethical Procurement Seal should signify more than a supplier code or published statement.
It should signify that ethical procurement practices for the reviewed scope were mapped, risk-assessed, controlled, remediated where needed, supported by reporting and grievance channels, reinforced through training, monitored, and independently reviewed through the SEAM pathway.
Frequently asked
Questions about the Ethical Procurement Seal
How is this different from full SEAM Certification?
Full SEAM Certification evaluates a whole building across all four pillars. The Ethical Procurement Seal is a limited-scope Seal focused on one theme — modern slavery, forced labor, and supply-chain due diligence — and only within a defined Assessment Scope. It does not certify the full owner, portfolio, fund, or asset.
What is the "Assessment Scope"?
The Assessment Scope is the explicit boundary of the Seal review and the public claim. It identifies the assessed party, their role, the frameworks covered, the supply-chain profile, tenant relationships, the reporting period, exclusions, and any owned or controlled entities included.
What does proportionate due diligence mean here?
Required Activities apply to every assessed party. Scope-Triggered Activities apply only when the Assessment Scope includes the relevant condition — for example, Tier 1 Suppliers in scope, tenant labor practices in scope, or U.S. import responsibilities. This adapts the same Standard-based method to the assessed party’s actual profile.
What is "Leading Practice" recognition?
Achievement is binary — you either earn the Seal or you don’t. Above that, organizations meeting the Gold-equivalent or Platinum-equivalent thresholds across the applicable Activity subset may receive the distinction "SEAM Ethical Procurement Seal — Leading Practice."
Does this satisfy modern slavery reporting obligations?
No. The Seal can support evidence organization for selected frameworks, but it does not complete legal reporting, regulator filings, customs responses, or import admissibility determinations. The assessed party and its counsel remain responsible for legal interpretation and filings.
What disqualifies an assessed party from earning the Seal?
The Seal may not be awarded where credible evidence shows active, unremediated modern slavery, forced labor, child labor, trafficking, or refusal to provide required evidence within the Assessment Scope. Any such finding must be resolved, remediated, or documented through an approved corrective action process before the Seal can be granted.
Does it count toward full Certification later?
Yes. Activities completed for this Seal may carry forward toward a future SEAM Human Rights Seal or full SEAM Certification when the assessed scope, entity, reporting period, evidence, and applicable rating system remain aligned with SEAM requirements.