In October 2021, 36 companies, investors and business associations released a joint statement calling on the UK government to introduce a Human Rights and Environmental Due Diligence (HREDD) law. 

The statement says:

“We call for the UK government to urgently bring forward ambitious primary legislation to mandate companies to carry out human rights and environmental due diligence. To level the playing field in practice, the requirement needs to be accompanied by consequences that will be strong enough to ensure that businesses that fall within the scope of the legislation carry out HREDD to a high standard and that victims have access to justice.”

It is expected that the European Commission will imminently introduce a new regime for EU-wide “mandatory supply chain due diligence” which draws from and is aligned with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs)

To help our members and suppliers think about requirements that may be in place in the near future, we would like to share this short video.  Businesses impact human rights wherever, and however, they operate. In 2011, the UN issued a set of guidelines (the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) defining who's responsible for addressing these impacts. This video explains what these principles say, and why they are a big deal.  The video can be shared internally within your organisations.