Net Zero goals should be pushed back to ensure slave labour is not used in making green technology, the public has said.
With Ed Miliband poised to splurge billions of pounds on solar power, batteries and heat pumps in a scramble to meet Labour's pledge to cut energy bills, polling shows nearly eight in ten would rather the UK delay reaching Net Zero than buy solar panels or wind turbines from countries that use forced or child labour to make them.
And an overwhelming majority of people (83 per cent) say the Government must ensure that all products and materials bought for net zero projects are ethically sourced.
The Energy Secretary is expected to set out proposals next month to allocate up to £13billion over the next four years as part of the Government's warm homes plan.
A shift in policy will see billions of pounds invested in household grants for installing solar panels, heat pumps and battery storage.
The Government will also lift restrictions on 'plug-in' solar panels that can be installed on balconies, patios or flat roofs.
These could be made available in the middle aisle of supermarkets.
But campaigners have warned that it is at present impossible to source green technology that has no slave labour in its supply chain.
Most of the materials and manufacturing comes from China and concerns have been raised repeatedly about its use of forced labour in Uyghur communities.
The research commissioned by the UK's independent anti-slavery commissioner Eleanor Lyons found widespread concern in the UK about how green tech is made.
'Britain must stop being the world's dumping ground for goods made with forced labour. It's time to draw a hard line and shut our doors to these products,' she said.
'The public is clear: the race to net zero cannot come at the expense of victims of slavery.'
The UK should align with other countries who have import bans and laws to protect their markets from becoming dumping grounds for these products, she added.
Luke de Pulford of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China said: 'People do not want a slave-made green transition, but we have legislated ourselves into one through net zero targets which cannot be achieved without Beijing's tainted supply chains.
'This is obviously unsustainable. It is self-evidently ludicrous and immoral for our leaders to rely on slavery in order to burnish their green credentials.
'Let's diversify, reduce dependence on China, and start advocating for a just transition, not one built on the back of Uyghur forced labour.'
Earlier this year, Mr Miliband was forced to bow to pressure by campaigners to ensure no forced labour was used in state-owned GB Energy's supply chains.
A Government spokesman said: 'No company in the UK should have forced labour in its supply chains, and we expect businesses to do everything in their power to remove any instances of this.'
Claire Coutinho, Tory energy spokesman, said: 'Whether it's for solar panels, cables, batteries or critical minerals, Ed Miliband's mad dash to Net Zero is going to make us much more dependent on imports of Chinese equipment.
'We know that much of the kit is often made with slave labour or comes with serious security risks. No wonder the former Head of MI6 said Labour's plans are 'completely crazy' when it comes to national security.'
Strand Partners polled 3,006 adults across the UK between November 25-27, 2025.
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