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Human rights due diligence is feasible

The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights stipulate that companies should identify the human rights impacts of their business activities, prevent adverse impacts, make good harm and communicate these steps in a transparent manner. The present research shows that these due diligence requirements can also be implemented. Companies, but also business consultants and human rights experts were interviewed. Experience shows that complex, large and multinational companies as well as small and medium-sized enterprises can face up to their human rights due diligence obligations. Companies' actions range from training their suppliers, to long-term contracts with suppliers, to reducing the number of suppliers. Where a single company does not make progress, for example in structural challenges such as freedom of association or living wages, committed companies seek cooperation with other companies in the industry, with trade unions or with multistakeholder initiatives such as the Fair Wear Foundation. Against the background of the question of whether the fulfilment of human rights due diligence should remain voluntary or be regulated in a binding manner, two existing regulatory examples were examined: The Dodd-Frank Act of the United States and the Modern Slavery Act of the United Kingdom. Both examples show that legal requirements cannot ruin the economy, but can drive improvements faster.

Scope: 28 pages
Reference: free of charge for download