"Benchmarking business: how are top companies being assessed on human rights", 08 November 2017

Benchmarking initiatives are driving businesses to scrutinise the governance of their human rights policies and practices...within their own organisations and in their supply chains...

...Their goal is to increase the information available on the way in which businesses are implementing UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, and to try to promote a “race to the top” in terms of adherence to the Principles.

Given the evolving nature of industry benchmarks... inconsistency exists in how the benchmarking processes work. There is confusion with respect to how rankings initiatives overlap with or are differentiated from each other.

Benchmarking methodology can seem opaque and indicators prone to lack of clarity and purpose, or oversimplification...

Some companies have striven to improve their rankings and changed practices with a view to increasing their scores...

Other companies have challenged...the rigid nature of benchmarking, noting that it does not always easily adapt to all business models, while maintaining their commitment to upholding human rights and articulating future plans to improve activities... 

...The current increase in benchmarking activity which we are seeing provides new insights into human rights compliance across industries and sectors.