Jul 2018

The levers of human rights compliance grow more diverse, but even so they are nudging business and civil society towards a common understanding of reasonable due diligence. A crisis of confidence in certification reflects a new awareness that due diligence tools are flawed, and that reform is needed to make them work for both producers and brands. Future modern slavery risks arising from the automation of supply chains, and increasing attacks on human rights defenders, highlight why successful human rights strategies should include consultation with communities and collaboration with governments. Our 2018 Human Rights Outlook focuses on five key issues... 1. Modern slavery risks will increase if states don’t prepare supply chain workers to adapt to competition from robot manufacturing;... 2. Evidence of rising attacks and forthcoming UN guidance will put a spotlight on how companies engage with human rights defenders;... 3. Modern slavery laws are just one part of an increasingly diverse compliance landscape that is pushing global businesses to conduct human rights due diligence;... 4. Certification schemes must adapt or die in the face of criticism that they are not effectively improving respect for human rights at the producer level;... 5. Social issues are inching up the investor agenda, but banks face battles with civil society over their human rights impacts.