18 Feb 2022

As we enter year three of the COVID-19 pandemic, and with the threat of war looming over Europe, protecting people and the planet is not a nice-to-have, it is a must. A consensus is growing: business has a duty to respect human rights, even when and where states waver in their responsibilities to safeguard workers, communities and our natural environment.

Next week the European Commission is expected to release a draft of standard-setting legislation on sustainable corporate governance, designed to ensure that human rights and the environment are respected throughout EU-based companies’ value chains. In spite of multiple delays, this could be a game-changing moment for corporate accountability – provided the EU meets the high ambitions it set for itself two years ago...

Pressure on companies and their boards to identify and address challenges in their value chains has grown, including from investors, and extends to the need to engage more directly with communities impacted by business activities...

A wide range of companies, investors and business initiatives have already recognized that effective mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence is a means for companies to raise the bar and ensure long-term stability and a sustainable business performance...

In my decades as a board director responsible for corporate compliance, I have learned that corporate responsibility should never be a box-ticking exercise – as is still too often the case today. Embedding due diligence in company culture and practice not only upholds respect for human rights and the environment, but also presents a business opportunity, creating a virtuous circle of business stability and inclusive economic growth. Successful stewardship of our businesses can, and should, exist alongside responsible stewardship of our workforces, impacted communities and the natural world...

A number of countries in Europe, including France, Germany and Norway, have already begun setting national standards for mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence. The Netherlands and Belgium are setting out their plans as well. It makes sense to align and consolidate these efforts through the EU, elevating Europe as the first region in the world to enforceably mandate such practices. By extension, European companies would significantly raise the bar for addressing human rights and environmental impacts around the world, while also leveling the playing field across regions and among stakeholders. International coherence is eventually needed if we are to advance these efforts at scale...