"Report: Big businesses falling 'overwhelmingly behind' on human rights", 14 Mar 2017

A large majority of businesses are in danger of falling "overwhelmingly behind" on human rights issues, according to a new report which benchmarks the ethical performance of some of the world's biggest businesses...The inaugural Corporate Human Rights Benchmark (CHRB) report...highlights a number of leading companies in each industry...However, these leaders are few in number, with just under half of companies (48) scoring an overall mark in the 20-29% bracket.  McDonalds, Walmart, and Yum! Brands are among the firms that are ranked below the 20% band range.  These companies are being urged by CHRB to “act decisively, learn from leading practices, and emulate rapidly their existing standards”...company scores are significantly skewed toward the lower percentage bands, reflecting the early stage that many companies are at when implementing the UN Guiding Principles...CHRB suggests that low-performing companies must follow the example of current industry leaders and recognise the moral imperative, business case and commercial viability of taking action on human rights.  [Also refers to Marks and Spencer (M&S), BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto, Nestlé, Unilever and Adidas].