Close Menu
  • Last News
    • Cities
    • Climate
    • Energy
    • Impact
    • Markets
    • Opinions
    • Policy
    • Reports
    • Research
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

News, investigations, and analysis — our top stories every morning to start your day right.

Trending
Illustration of biodegradable cellulose sheets developed as a plastic alternative, generated by artificial intelligence.
“US Eco-Sheets Crush Plastic Giants”: Ultra-Strong Bacteria Fabric Shakes Up Every Household and Industry With a Sudden Wave of Unstoppable Innovation
Illustration of a futuristic clay membrane technology extracting lithium from seawater, generated by artificial intelligence.
“These Unbelievable Clay Membranes Are Pulling Lithium Fortunes Out of Thin Water,” Roars Shocked Scientist as Global Battery Race Goes Into Overdrive
Illustration of the Blue Marlin, the world's first inland vessel using solar power for propulsion, generated by artificial intelligence.
“This Solar Ship Is the Future of River Travel,” Declares Visionary Engineer as 192 Sun-Powered Panels Drive the World’s First Inland Marvel
Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn YouTube TikTok
Sustainability Times
Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn YouTube TikTok
Subscribe
  • Featured
  • Cities
    Illustration of Toronto's urban forest transformation with natural wetlands and diverse wildlife. Image generated by AI.

    Toronto’s Stunning Green Revolution Turns Canada’s Largest Metropolis Into a Vast Urban Forest Visible From Space

    July 1, 2025 at 4:01 PM
    Illustration of Downtown Residences skyscraper in Dubai's Business Bay area. Image generated by AI.

    “Tallest Home in the Sky”: Dubai’s 1,500-Foot Residential Tower Set to Shatter Records and Completely Transform the Urban Skyline

    June 14, 2025 at 4:11 PM
    Illustration of Egypt's ambitious Jirian urban development project featuring an artificial Nile canal. Image generated by AI.

    “Egypt’s Visionary Project Unveiled”: Skyscrapers Rising Amidst the Desert and Beside the Pyramids as Revolutionary New City Takes Shape

    June 11, 2025 at 10:00 AM
    Illustration of Saudi Arabia's futuristic Line project stretching across the desert. Image generated by AI.

    “Saudi Mega-Skyscraper Turns Deadly”: This 105-Mile Structure Threatens to Annihilate Migratory Birds on a Catastrophic Scale

    June 10, 2025 at 10:10 AM
    Illustration of Archer Aviation's Midnight eVTOL air taxi flying over Los Angeles during the 2028 Olympics. Image generated by AI.

    Flying Over LA Gridlock: These American Air Taxis Promise a Spectacular Debut During the 2028 Olympic Games

    May 20, 2025 at 4:07 PM
  • Climate
    Illustration of individuals attempting to cool down during a heatwave by drinking icy beverages, generated by artificial intelligence.

    “Scientists Warn Everyone Makes This Deadly Heat Mistake”: Proven Ineffective Cooling Habit Spreads Every Summer, Endangering Lives Across America

    July 10, 2025 at 5:50 PM
    Illustration of the Birdhouse Modular tiny house design, highlighting its flexible and eco-friendly features, generated by artificial intelligence.

    “Modular Tiny House Totally Changed My Life”: Birdhouse’s Revolutionary Design Delivers Ultimate Flexibility and Style for Modern Small-Space Living

    July 10, 2025 at 9:47 AM
    Illustration of Dyson's vertical farming operation with advanced technology in a 26-acre glasshouse, generated by artificial intelligence.

    “They Said It Was Impossible—Now Robots Grow 1.2 Million Strawberries a Year”: Inside Dyson’s Sci-Fi Mega-Farm Shocking the Entire Agriculture Industry

    July 10, 2025 at 6:14 AM

    Ovik Mkrtchyan on Integrating Green Thinking into Emerging Economies

    July 10, 2025 at 5:23 AM
    Illustration of a historic heatwave affecting the central and eastern United States. Image generated by AI.

    “We’ve Never Faced Heat Like This”: Meteorologists Warn of Historic Heatwave Set to Scorch the U.S. With Record-Breaking Temperatures

    July 6, 2025 at 5:52 AM
  • Energy
    Illustration of a futuristic clay membrane technology extracting lithium from seawater, generated by artificial intelligence.

    “These Unbelievable Clay Membranes Are Pulling Lithium Fortunes Out of Thin Water,” Roars Shocked Scientist as Global Battery Race Goes Into Overdrive

    July 11, 2025 at 8:52 AM
    Illustration of the Blue Marlin, the world's first inland vessel using solar power for propulsion, generated by artificial intelligence.

    “This Solar Ship Is the Future of River Travel,” Declares Visionary Engineer as 192 Sun-Powered Panels Drive the World’s First Inland Marvel

    July 11, 2025 at 7:46 AM
    Illustration of an innovative fishery-solar hybrid farm in China combining solar panels with aquaculture, generated by artificial intelligence.

    “These Jaw-Dropping 370,000 Solar Panels Are Transforming Chinese Fishing Forever,” Declares Global Energy Authority as Massive 250 MW Hybrid Farm Shocks Industry

    July 11, 2025 at 6:01 AM
    Illustration of the XiaoTun underwater jetpack in action, showcasing its sleek design and capabilities, as an artificial illustration.

    “Underwater Jetpack Shocked My Expectations”: XiaoTun’s $1,374 Kickstarter Device Makes High-Speed Ocean Exploration Possible for First-Time Adventurers

    July 10, 2025 at 8:46 AM
    Illustration of a Ferrari-branded eco-friendly yacht employing renewable energy technology, generated by artificial intelligence.

    “Ferrari’s Green Revolution Stuns the Seas”: This Eco-Friendly Yacht Breaks Speed Barriers While Redefining Luxury for the Super-Rich

    July 10, 2025 at 8:12 AM
  • Impact
    Illustration of the Streetwing flying car designed by Dezső Molnár for sustainable transportation, generated by artificial intelligence.

    “Flying Car Opened Up a Whole New World for Me”: Streetwing’s Daring Design Ignites the Next Chapter in Pure Personal Exploration

    July 10, 2025 at 3:49 PM
    Illustration of a laser-based mosquito defense system neutralizing mosquitoes, generated by artificial intelligence.

    “Terrifying Death Ray Unleashed!”: China’s Laser Mosquito Defense System Annihilates 30 Bloodthirsty Pests Every Second, Astonishing Global Scientists

    July 9, 2025 at 4:00 PM
    Illustration of the AIRCAT Bengal MC, the world's most advanced autonomous naval vessel. Image generated by AI.

    “We Just Changed Naval Warfare Forever”: US Unveils World’s Most Advanced Warship With Devastating 44-Ton Payload Capacity

    July 8, 2025 at 6:09 PM

    Yueling Lai’s AlzCare App Wins 2025 Red Dot Design Award

    July 7, 2025 at 5:14 AM
    Illustration of the Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge towering over the Beipan River in China's Guizhou province. Image generated by AI.

    “This Bridge Shouldn’t Be Possible”: China Unveils World’s Highest Mega-Structure Now Ready to Open Above the Clouds

    July 4, 2025 at 5:12 PM
  • Markets
    Illustration of a colossal 55 billion-ton iron ore deposit discovery in Western Australia. Image generated by AI.

    Worldwide Panic as Monumental Geological Find Disrupts Global Trade and Triggers Market Turmoil on Every Continent

    June 4, 2025 at 4:53 PM

    Most sources of protein in the US contain vast quantities of microplastics

    January 11, 2024 at 5:47 AM

    Banking on change: How your accounts have climate impact

    December 26, 2023 at 7:13 PM

    Sparxell’s glitter is golden with nature-based color, design

    December 19, 2023 at 9:29 PM

    Lab-grown coffee tastes pretty darn good, scientists say

    December 12, 2023 at 10:42 PM
  • Opinions
    Illustration of Mars colonization vision challenged by expert, highlighting Earth's superior habitability, generated by artificial intelligence.

    “Elon Musk, You’re Ignoring the Truth”: Astrophysicist’s Startling Claim—Earth Would Remain a Paradise Compared to Mars After Nuclear Apocalypse

    July 10, 2025 at 4:56 PM

    Smoke, Mirrors, and Smears: Inside the Campaign Against Gaurav Srivastava (Review)

    May 14, 2025 at 10:45 AM

    Nathan Law and the High Cost of Dissent: A Review of Targeted, Episode 3

    May 13, 2025 at 9:46 AM

    From charts to conversations: a real review of Hint App, The Pattern, and TimePassages

    May 13, 2025 at 5:12 AM

    Where Time Touches Light: Yefan Liu and the Future of Cultural Design

    April 18, 2025 at 3:39 AM
  • Policy
    Illustration of a legislative debate on banning octopus farming, highlighting environmental and ethical concerns, generated by artificial intelligence.

    “They’re Smarter Than Dogs!”: Furious North Carolina Bill Launches All-Out War on Octopus Farming, Leaving Shocked Families and Multimillion-Dollar Businesses in Chaos

    July 9, 2025 at 5:55 AM
    Illustration of the Canadian government's decision to freeze Tesla subsidies amid legal controversy. Image generated by AI.

    “We’re Not Paying a Cent”: Canada Freezes $40 Million in Aid and Declares War on Tesla’s Controversial Operations

    July 7, 2025 at 4:58 PM
    Illustration of OpenAI's efforts in regulating AI for biological safety. Image generated by AI.

    “OpenAI Pulls Emergency Brake”: This Terrifying AI Showed Signs It Could Design Real-World Biological Weapons From Scratch

    July 1, 2025 at 6:10 AM
    Illustration of China's massive underground military command center near Beijing. Image generated by AI.

    “China Builds Largest Military Hub on Earth”: Satellite Images Expose 1,000-Acre Mega-Complex With Global Strategic Implications

    June 30, 2025 at 9:55 AM
    Illustration of North Star, an AI tool designed to predict and prevent wars by simulating world leaders' decisions. Image generated by AI.

    “AI That Stops Wars”: Former Harvard Scientist Unveils Revolutionary Peace Technology Designed to Prevent Global Conflict Before It Starts

    June 25, 2025 at 5:10 PM
  • Reports
    Illustration of the SABRE South Collaboration’s experimental setup for detecting dark matter in the Stawell Underground Physics Laboratory (AI-generated, non-realistic illustration). Credit: Ideogram.

    “Scientists Stunned by Mysterious Light”: Bold Experiment Uses 4-Inch Glowing Crystal Core to Unveil Secrets of Elusive Dark Matter

    May 5, 2025 at 6:05 AM
    Illustration of a precision laser being fired from Earth to a satellite orbiting the Moon during daylight (AI-generated, non-realistic illustration). Credit: Ideogram.

    China Hits the Moon With a Laser: First Daylight Lunar Reflection in History Stuns Scientists and Ignites Global Space Race

    May 4, 2025 at 5:09 PM
    Illustration of the SR-72 hypersonic jet soaring through the sky (AI-generated, non-realistic illustration). Credit: Ideogram.

    “China Stunned by US Jet”: SR-72 Hypersonic Aircraft to Fly at Over Mach 5 in 2025, Triggering Shock and Panic in Beijing

    May 4, 2025 at 6:03 AM
    Illustration of China's expansive underground military command center near Beijing (AI-generated, non-realistic illustration). Credit: Ideogram.

    China Unveils Its Military Mega-Project: Satellite Images Reveal Construction of the Largest Military Hub on Earth Spanning Over 1,000 Acres

    May 3, 2025 at 6:54 AM
    Illustration of China's new amphibious anti-tank missile system on the ZTD-05 vehicle (AI-generated, non-realistic illustration). Credit: Ideogram.

    “China Unleashes Amphibious Beast”: This Armored Truck-Turned-Tank Can Now Hunt Enemy Targets Across Rivers and Swamps

    May 2, 2025 at 5:52 AM
  • Research
    Illustration of biodegradable cellulose sheets developed as a plastic alternative, generated by artificial intelligence.

    “US Eco-Sheets Crush Plastic Giants”: Ultra-Strong Bacteria Fabric Shakes Up Every Household and Industry With a Sudden Wave of Unstoppable Innovation

    July 11, 2025 at 9:53 AM
    Illustration of waxworms consuming a plastic bag, generated by artificial intelligence.

    “These Miracle Worms Turn Plastic Into Pure Profit,” Proclaims Leading Scientist as Waxworms Devour Trash, Poop Cash, and Offer Planetary Salvation

    July 11, 2025 at 6:50 AM
    Illustration of the prevention and treatment of Helicobacter pylori infections to reduce stomach cancer risk, generated by artificial intelligence.

    “Stop Stomach Cancer Now”: This Game-Changing H. Pylori Treatment Could Be the Lifesaving Answer You’ve Been Waiting For

    July 10, 2025 at 6:51 AM
    Illustration of microplastic particles accumulating in human brain tissue, linked to neurological health concerns.

    “Plastic Is Invading Your Brain!”: Explosive Global Study Links Shocking Microplastic Levels Directly to Skyrocketing Dementia and Memory Collapse

    July 9, 2025 at 4:59 PM
    Illustration of China's Yuanxingzhe-1 reusable rocket during a successful test, generated by artificial intelligence.

    “SpaceX Fears for Its Survival!”: China’s Private Rocket Company Stuns the World With Reusable Launch, Threatening to Eclipse Musk’s Entire Space Empire

    July 9, 2025 at 10:00 AM
Sustainability Times

The EU’s ‘due diligence’ law will require global businesses to police their supply chains

Eirwen WilliamsEirwen WilliamsAugust 14, 2023 at 10:09 PM0
Share Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Telegram WhatsApp Email Copy Link
Follow Us
Google News
Photo: Pexels/Maxim Romashkin
Share
Twitter Facebook LinkedIn WhatsApp Email Copy Link

Photo: Pexels/Maxim Romashkin

The European Union will soon require thousands of large companies to actively look for and reduce human rights abuses and environmental damage in their supply chains. And although it’s an EU law, it will also cover foreign businesses – including American ones – that have operations in the region.

The European Parliament approved a draft of the new rules in June 2023, and now EU member states and the European Commission will negotiate to finalize the law, which is expected to begin rolling out in phases a few years from now.

We study the impacts of human rights disclosure and due diligence laws on businesses. In the past, governments have generally asked only that companies voluntarily comply with efforts to advance human rights. The EU law would be the biggest attempt yet to legally mandate compliance – with major implications for human rights and businesses around the world.

Human rights and big business

Human rights are those fundamental rights that all individuals hold simply by virtue of being human, such as rights to life and freedom of thought.

Human rights usually inform laws that limit what governments can do – for example, by obliging them to refrain from torturing people. Increasingly, however, they are also informing business regulations, because powerful companies can have serious impacts on individuals’ human rights.

Businesses have a long history of human rights abuses, from the British East India Co.’s pivotal role in the slave trade and IBM’s complicity in the Holocaust to more recent deadly environmental disasters involving oil and mining companies.

More contemporary examples of this are children in the Democratic Republic of Congo mining cobalt destined for cellphones or forced labor being used in the production of cotton in China’s heavily Muslim Xinjiang region.

In 2011, the United Nations Human Rights Council took a step toward policing these abuses by unanimously adopting “guiding principles” on business and human rights. These principles urge governments to compel companies in their jurisdictions to respect human rights wherever they operate. Such an approach stands in contrast to more common voluntary standards, such as supplier codes of conduct, which some observers have suggested have been ineffective.

In 2017, France became the first country to actually mandate that companies police their supply chains for human rights abuses.

The EU’s human rights due diligence law, first drafted in 2022, builds on the French version – but goes a few steps further.

Doing your due diligence

Human rights due diligence is a process by which companies are meant to map out, understand and address all potential human rights abuses that occur throughout their operations.

The term “due diligence” is borrowed from the common business practice of financial due diligence, wherein financial risks are investigated before any large investment. So just as businesses evaluate financial risks, human rights advocates argue companies should put similar effort into investigating the risk that an activity might violate someone’s human rights.

photo: Pexels/Sharan Pagadala

The EU law would mandate that all large companies that operate in the bloc conduct human rights due diligence among their suppliers – by, for example, making sure child or forced labor wasn’t involved – but also on how their products are used by consumers – such as when a piece of technology is used to surveil citizens.

The law would cover most human rights, including labor rights and environmental rights, past or present. In practice, that would mean companies would have to map any harmful impacts that have occurred or could occur and take action to remedy or prevent them.

The rules would also include provisions for enforcement and penalties for noncompliance through fines and other sanctions. And victims of abuse would be able to seek damages.

In its current form, the law would cover EU companies with at least 500 workers and 150 million euros US$162 million) in net revenue, but those thresholds fall to 250 workers and 40 million euros ($44.5 million) in sectors with a higher risk of abuse, such as clothing, footwear and agriculture. Non-European companies must comply if they have EU revenues that meet those thresholds. An estimated 13,000 EU companies and 4,000 based outside of Europe – including household names like Apple, Amazon and Nike – would be subject to the law.

If it works as intended, the EU law could be transformative in protecting human rights, including worker health and safety and workers’ free speech, around the world. According to a recent report by human rights scholars, it could be “particularly valuable in the context of transnational supply chains, where the fragmented nature of production has long presented formidable legal and practical barriers to efforts to secure greater corporate accountability for labor rights violations and poor working conditions.”

Bad for business?

While many companies have already endorsed mandatory due diligence rules, others worry this kind of government mandate would be too onerous.

A full map of risks in a company’s value chain – from raw materials to consumers – is difficult to establish when suppliers are separate companies operating on the other side of the world and global supply chains are frequently large and complex.

Some companies also strongly resist the idea of being held responsible for human rights violations that take place in their supply chains overseas.

For this reason, the U.S. has so far preferred voluntary rules when it comes to pushing companies to respect human rights.

But that’s slowly beginning to change.

In 2012, California implemented the Supply Chain Transparency Act, which requires companies operating in the state to disclose their “efforts to eradicate human trafficking and slavery” in their global supply chains. And in 2021, Congress passed the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which bans the importation of goods mined, produced or manufactured wholly or in part in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China – home of the Uyghur people, who have been subjected to an intense program of state suppression since 2017.

Between these rules there is a clear trend developing of an increasing number of U.S. companies being obligated to implement some form of human rights due diligence. But these rules, unlike the developing European approach, are very narrowly tailored and don’t require companies to routinely undertake due diligence.

As a result, the U.S. companies that would be subject to the EU rules would be at a competitive disadvantage to many of their domestic rivals.

That’s why we believe the time may be ripe for Congress to consider its own more comprehensive human rights due diligence law, which would let the U.S. take the lead on the issue and have more of a say in these global standards. We believe that such a move would also be a major boon to protecting the human rights of marginalized groups across the world.

This article was written by Rachel Chambers, an assistant professor of Business Law at the University of Connecticut, and David Birchall, a senior lecturer in Law at London South Bank University. It is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Did you like it? 4.6/5 (20)

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

News, investigations, and analysis — our top stories every morning to start your day right.

Best Practices Policy
Follow on Google News Follow on X (Twitter)
Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Telegram WhatsApp Email Copy Link
Previous ArticleIn the era of ‘global boiling,’ nature conservation is key
Next Article Jordan’s tanker water reliance is emblematic of a global crisis
Eirwen Williams
  • X (Twitter)

Eirwen Williams is a New York-based journalist at Sustainability Times, covering science, climate policy, sustainable innovation, and environmental justice. A graduate of NYU’s Journalism Institute, he explores how cities adapt to a warming world. With a focus on people-powered change, his stories spotlight the intersection of activism, policy, and green technology. Contact : [email protected]

Keep Reading
Illustration of the Streetwing flying car designed by Dezső Molnár for sustainable transportation, generated by artificial intelligence.

“Flying Car Opened Up a Whole New World for Me”: Streetwing’s Daring Design Ignites the Next Chapter in Pure Personal Exploration

Illustration of a laser-based mosquito defense system neutralizing mosquitoes, generated by artificial intelligence.

“Terrifying Death Ray Unleashed!”: China’s Laser Mosquito Defense System Annihilates 30 Bloodthirsty Pests Every Second, Astonishing Global Scientists

Illustration of the AIRCAT Bengal MC, the world's most advanced autonomous naval vessel. Image generated by AI.

“We Just Changed Naval Warfare Forever”: US Unveils World’s Most Advanced Warship With Devastating 44-Ton Payload Capacity

Add A Comment

Comments are closed.

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

News, investigations, and analysis — our top stories every morning to start your day right.

Trending
Illustration of biodegradable cellulose sheets developed as a plastic alternative, generated by artificial intelligence.
“US Eco-Sheets Crush Plastic Giants”: Ultra-Strong Bacteria Fabric Shakes Up Every Household and Industry With a Sudden Wave of Unstoppable Innovation
Illustration of a futuristic clay membrane technology extracting lithium from seawater, generated by artificial intelligence.
“These Unbelievable Clay Membranes Are Pulling Lithium Fortunes Out of Thin Water,” Roars Shocked Scientist as Global Battery Race Goes Into Overdrive
Illustration of the Blue Marlin, the world's first inland vessel using solar power for propulsion, generated by artificial intelligence.
“This Solar Ship Is the Future of River Travel,” Declares Visionary Engineer as 192 Sun-Powered Panels Drive the World’s First Inland Marvel
News by category
  • Featured
  • Cities
  • Climate
  • Energy
  • Impact
  • Markets
  • Opinions
  • Policy
  • Reports
  • Research
Information
  • About Us
  • Meet the Team
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Legal Mentions
  • Privacy Policy

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

News, investigations, and analysis — our top stories every morning to start your day right.

Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn YouTube TikTok
© Sustainability-Times.com. All rights reserved.

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.