<p><span>The housebuilding sector has shown significant “achievement and improvement” in its understanding of modern slavery and fairness, inclusion and respect (FIR), and in its community engagement performance, according to an industry-wide survey of built environment contracting organisations and supply chain companies, conducted by the Supply Chain Sustainability School. </span></p> <p><span>The organisation also states that its “leadership, learning and support” has been credited by companies as “having a significant positive influence” in their progress with these issues.</span></p> <p><span>The School said its second Impact Survey revealed that 71% of respondents have an improved understanding of modern slavery issues — an 8% improvement on 2018, with 86% agreeing that the School “has helped them achieve this progress”, up 4% against last year, the organisation said.</span></p> <p><span>Meanwhile, the percentage of respondents reporting an improved understanding of FIR rose 15% to 63%, the School stated; 87% said that the School aided this, an increase of 2%. </span></p><p><span>And 45% have achieved an increased level of community engagement, the same as 2018, with the percentage of those citing the School’s work as influential up 6% to 72%.</span></p> <p><span>The School’s survey also points to topics that merit more progress from the industry. According to the organisation’s data, 34% …