Skip to content

31 January, 2023

Subscribe Advertise About Us
  • My Account
  • Register
  • Log In
  • Log Out

Board Agenda

  • Governance
  • Strategy
  • Risk
  • Ethics
  • News
    • Categories

      • View All
      • Board Moves
    • stakeholder governance

      Threat to stakeholder governance from Twitter sale ‘overstated’

      Academics and experts argue stakeholder governance will always come second while the law puts the...

    • Davos resilience News round-up: this week in governance

      Lessons from Davos; companies risk sliding back on ethical practices; economics affects everyone; Sir John...

    • audit reform UK Audit reform in the UK risks ‘losing momentum’

      The Financial Reporting Council still awaits the proposed new statutory powers that would allow it...

  • Insight
    • Categories

      • View all
      • Governance
      • Strategy
      • Risk
      • Ethics
      • Board Expertise
      • finance
      • Technology
    • climate litigation

      Climate litigation: how 2022 will shape 2023

      This past year saw a rise in climate litigation, with a focus on the commercial...

    • value whistleblowing

      Why we need to value whistleblowing

      Encouraging staff to speak up and stop harm can reduce legal and reputational risk—both for...

    • HR corporate trust

      HR: How to build employee trust in corporate culture

      The right HR director is essential to lead on a culture that gets the best...

  • Comment
      • View all
    • A week of business moving to the centre of human rights

      A week of events signals the initiatives underway to have companies play a central role...

    • audit reform IIA Why we need audit reform right now

      There is an "urgent need" for reform to the audit landscape as well as internal...

    • climate change energy crisis Sustainability and climate change: the other energy crisis

      The world is addicted to cheap energy. We need to admit this and have the...

  • Interviews
      • View All Interviews
      • Podcasts
      • Webinars
    • Board priorities 2023 Board priorities 2023: tact, trust and transparency

      We asked key figures what would help boards this year. The answers ranged from 'smarter...

    • Group of investors/shareholders in glass building Climate issues likely to figure prominently at next year’s AGMs

      A recent webinar heard that say-on-climate voting is expected to rise, while ESG remains a...

    • NEDs role NEDs ‘needed more than ever’ in times of uncertainty

      The non-executive director’s role is to both challenge and listen to management, agreed the panel...

  • Careers
      • View all
      • Selection
      • Board Moves
    • NED recruitment News round-up: this week in governance

      Your country needs NEDs; governance does not compute; financial firms get more women on board;...

    • HR corporate trust HR: How to build employee trust in corporate culture

      The right HR director is essential to lead on a culture that gets the best...

    • powerful CEOs Boards want powerful CEOs in tough times

      Single-minded chief executives have greater staying ability when business conditions are uncertain, research finds

  • Resource Centre
      • White Paper Downloads
      • Book Reviews
      • Corporate & Advisory Services
    • Edelman Trust Barometer 2023

      2023 Edelman Trust Barometer

      The report is the result of the Edelman Trust Institute's research, which sampled more than...

    • Sophos 2023 Threat Report

      Barriers to entry for would-be cybercriminals are lower, with tools and tactics becoming available to...

    • The C-Suite Outlook 2023: On the Edge

      The Conference Board 2023 C-Suite Outlook survey reveals the events that C-suite executives see as...

  • Events
  • Search by topic
    • Governance
    • Strategy
    • Risk
    • Ethics
    • Regulation
    • ESG
    • Investor Relations
    • Selection
    • Board Expertise
    • finance
    • Technology

Top UK companies push for mandatory human rights due diligence

by Gavin Hinks on October 22, 2021

Tesco, John Lewis, Asos and the Co-op are among the firms calling for new UK laws mandating human rights and environmental due diligence.

Houses of Parliament

Image: Drop of Light/Shutterstock.com

As efforts to introduce mandatory human rights due diligence in the European Union stumble, some of the UK’s largest retailers want the UK government to push ahead with its own legislation.

Tesco, John Lewis, Asos, Primark and the Co-op are among the companies calling for new laws mandating human rights and environmental due diligence for UK corporates.

The companies, 36 in all, have combined to issue a single statement making the argument for new due diligence legislation. The statement says Covid-19 has revealed the “fragility” of global supply chains and the vulnerabilities they create for workers, communities and indigenous peoples. They also want any new obligations to be accompanied by sanctions for non-compliance.

“The issue should figure highly on the UK’s domestic and international agenda,” the statement says. “Action in this area would allow the UK to show global leadership in the year that it chairs the G7 and hosts COP26 in Glasgow.”

New human rights legislation

According to Aisha Aswani, ethical trading manager at Co-op, new legislation is critical to preventing human rights abuses. “Protecting the rights of workers without our supply chain and managing our environmental impact are absolute priorities fundamental to the way we do business,” she says.

Thulsi Narayanasamy, of the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre, says voluntary commitments to due diligence have failed. “It speaks volumes that leading investors themselves are uniting to call for a level playing field and clear regulatory environment to ensure that the right of the most vulnerable are respected.”

The UK is not without any legislation in this area. The Modern Slavery Act saw the UK break new ground but the law has a much narrower focus than an all-encompassing human rights measure.

A report from a House of Commons committee last year left readers in no doubt the 2011 law was past its best. “Companies selling to millions of British customers cannot guarantee that their supply chains are free from forced labour. Modern slavery legislation and BEIS (Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy) Department policy are not fit for purpose in tackling this grave situation,” it warned.

The view from Europe

In Europe, individual states have pushed ahead with their own due diligence legislation. France, Belgium and Germany have stringent requirements on companies, while Norway and Switzerland have made similar moves.

In Brussels new legislation was expected before the European Commission in August, but experts now expect it to be the end of the year before drafts are made public. It is understood officials may be waiting until debate is resolved over another sensitive piece of legislation, the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), set to further harmonise ESG reporting across the EU’s member states and affecting 50,000 companies.

Meanwhile, Japan is pushing ahead with a reference to human rights in a revision of the country’s corporate governance code.

There have been many calls for human rights due diligence. COP26 will increase pressure on UK ministers to act. It might also provide a platform for making an announcement.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Google+
  • LinkedIn
  • Mail

Related Posts

  • EU publishes proposals for human rights due diligence law
    February 24, 2022
    EU flag

    The proposals require company directors to take into account human rights, climate change and sustainability in their decision-making.

  • Companies protest delay in EU human rights due diligence legislation
    February 9, 2022
    EU flag

    Companies including Ikea, Danone and Aviva Investors have signed a letter calling on the EU to accelerate its work on human rights proposals.

  • Pressure renewed for human rights due diligence
    August 31, 2022
    Child labourer breaking rocks

    New poll reveals public backing for laws forcing companies to head off and weed out human rights and environmental abuses.

  • Renewed call for human rights due diligence law
    October 7, 2022
    human rights due diligence

    Mandatory compliance would prevent the UK from being ‘a laggard’ in Europe on environmental and supply chain issues, say business signatories.

For thoughtful journalism, expert insights on corporate governance and an extensive library of reports, guides and tools to help boards and directors navigate the complexities of their roles, subscribe to Board Agenda

Co-operative, COP26, EU legislation, human rights, human rights due diligence, John Lewis, legislation, Primark, Tesco

Search


Sign up to our Newsletter

Receive independent news, thoughtful journalism & expert insights about leadership, corporate governance & key boardroom issues straight to your inbox every week.

SIGN UP

Follow Us

 

 

 

 

Most Popular

  • Audit reform in the UK risks ‘losing momentum’
  • Elon Musk weighs in against ISS and Glass Lewis
  • News round-up: this week in governance
  • Activist investor campaigns rise back up to pre-Covid levels
  • How to ensure stakeholders trust your sustainability reporting
 

Featured Partner Profile

Diligent

Diligent

Diligent Corporation, which was founded in 2001, is headquartered in New York, NY with a European HQ in London. Diligent’s modern governance platform empowers leaders and teams at every level of the organisation to digitally transform and create ...

Featured Partner Resources

2022 AGM Season Forecast: An Eye on The Horizon

To help prepare for AGMs in 2022, Equiniti (EQ) hi...

Stakeholder Engagement: A Roadmap for UK Plc Boards

This guide aims to provide directors and their col...

Digital Boards: How Technology Adoption is Driving Culture Change and Resiliency

Digital tools proved their worth to boards during ...
Leadership in AI report

Leadership in AI

This report from Board Agenda and Mazars, in assoc...
Creativity in a Crisis: a Boardroom Map for Innovation

Creativity in a Crisis: a Boardroom Map for Innovation

In the uncertain times at the height of any crisis...
Board Directors Guide to D&O Liability Insurance - November 2020 - AIG & Board Agenda

Board Directors' Guide to D&O Liability Insurance

Directors face liability over a range of new threa...
Leadership-in-Risk-Management-Board-Report

Leadership in Risk Management: Board Report

Board Agenda, in association with Mazars and INSEA...
Director's Guide to Internal Investigations

A Director's Guide to Conducting Internal Investigations

An internal investigation must be handled meticulo...

 


 

ADVERTISE – FREE CORPORATE LISTING

FREE - Add your company profile to our Corporate & Advisory Directory.
ADD

ADVERTISE – PROMOTE YOUR REPORTS & WHITEPAPERS

FREE - Add your company profile to our Corporate & Advisory Directory.
Add Resource

Register Free

Register to receive free article views, selected resource downloads, and all the latest news alerts straight to your inbox. Register


  • Editors & Contributors
  • Editorial Advisory Board
  • Corporate & Advisory Services
  • Media Marketing Solutions
  • Contact Us
  • Careers
  • Board Director Network
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookies
  • Sitemap
|