Updates & Resources
Barrick Gold: killings and violence against local communities (Tanzania)
The Kurya or Kuria people are the majority ethnic group of Tarime district. The mine severely impacted their way of life and they suffer from brutal violence. Find out in our case study how a Business, Human Rights and Environment Act could have made a difference.
Beef: human rights abuses, deforestation and land conversion on the menu (Brazil)
Indigenous communities in the Amazon are continuously battling for land ownership and land use rights. Workers at cattle ranches were forced to work 17 hours a day and were left to live in deplorable conditions. Find out in our case study how a Business, Human Rights and Environment Act could have made a difference.
British American Tobacco and Imperial Brands: child and forced labour on tobacco farms (Malawi)
Malawi is one of the top five tobacco leaf-producing countries in Africa. Farmers often work under exploitative and hazardous conditions. In certain tobacco producing regions, 57% of children are engaged in child labour on tobacco farms. Find out in our case study how a Business, Human Rights and Environment Act could have made a difference.
Shell’s impunity for destruction in the Niger Delta (Nigeria)
Over a number of decades, oil spills from Shell’s operations led to devastating environmental impacts with disastrous consequences for the local residents. The spills contaminated the communities’ land and waterways which they relied on for farming, drinking, and washing. Find out more details in our case study and how a Business, Human Rights and Environment Act could have made a difference.
Public procurement of tainted PPE (Malaysia)
Despite serious red flags concerning Supermax’s labour practices and ongoing investigations, NHS Supply Chain named Supermax an approved supplier in December 2021. The US Government had previously introduced import bans on Supermax products based on its finding of forced labour. Find out how a Business, Human Rights and Environment Act could have made a difference.
Investors support a Business, Human Rights and Environment Act
Investors representing £4.5 trillion in assets under management support a Business, Human Rights and Environment Act and make recommendations to the UK for robust legislation on mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence
4 in 5 of the British public support new laws to prevent exploitation of people in supply chains
Yaeno Fernandez Amano, Fellow at Anti-Slavery International, explores the latest polling results regarding modern slavery and supply chains.
Opinion on the UK Law Commission’s options paper including a criminal offence of failure to prevent human rights abuses
Opinion: The failure to hold to account criminally UK companies (and companies which operate in the UK and/or have UK listings) which are complicit in human rights abuses abroad stands in stark contrast to more promising developments in countries such as France, with the Lafarge case, and Sweden with the Lundin case.
Effectiveness of mandatory human rights due diligence
Policy briefing analysing the evidence base on the effectiveness of mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence.
UK efforts to reduce global deforestation undermined by ignoring indigenous peoples’ rights
Under Schedule 17 of the UK Environment Act, certain businesses will be required to prove that their products are “deforestation-free” and compliant with local laws, but respect for indigenous peoples’ and local communities’ rights – in particular their land rights - has not been expressly required.
New BIICL Report Looks at Preventing Human Rights Harms
As developments around mandatory human rights due diligence laws are taking place rapidly across Europe, the report considers the legal feasibility of introducing into UK law a corporate duty to prevent human rights harms.
New UK law won’t halt deforestation or protect human rights
Commodity supply chains are trashing forests and trampling human rights. Clare Oxborrow from Friend of the Earth explains why the government’s new Environment Act will fail to protect communities and why it must take effective action to regulate UK companies.
Retailers press for human rights and environmental checks on supply chains
Tesco, John Lewis and others say it would prevent scandals such as poor conditions at Boohoo suppliers.
Report: A legal opinion on Boohoo's supply chain and liability under an mHRDD law
A new legal opinion on Boohoo’s Leicester supply chain finds the fast fashion brand could have been held liable under a UK mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence law called for by rights groups.
UK Government opens consultation on “world-leading” due diligence law
The UK's new Environment Act 2021 (the "Environment Act") introduces a prohibition on the use of "forest risk commodities" in UK commercial activities, unless those commodities have been produced in compliance with local laws. It also introduces due diligence and reporting obligations in relation to "forest risk commodities".
Rights groups join forces to call for UK corporate accountability laws
Almost 30 organisations have joined forces to call for the UK to follow in the footsteps of its European partners by introducing corporate accountability laws requiring companies to undertake human rights and environmental due diligence across their supply chains.
The UK must take the global lead against modern slavery once more
Nick Beighton, chief executive of Asos, comments on the need to strengthen the Modern Slavery Act. The UK must go further and introduce new laws to compel businesses to take meaningful actions to prevent modern slavery. The UK must adopt mandatory human rights due diligence legislation.
Due Diligence and Transparency Legislation
This brief sets out the key requirements for strong and effective human rights due diligence legislation and practices to address the business drivers of forced labour along the supply chain.
We need a new law to root out corporate supply chain abuses — wherever they take place
It’s abundantly clear that despite repeated scandals and inquiries — and share prices fluctuating in line with each new development — the problems of Boohoo and other companies tackling abuses in supply chains, whether in the UK, China or anywhere else, remain far from solved.
Civil Society Paper: Debating mandatory Human Rights Due Diligence Legislation - a reality check
The paper takes some of the myths surrounding the introduction of human rights and environmental due diligence legislation and fact checks it against reality.