Business corporations are confronting an increasing variety of human rights issues – ranging from workplace safety in ready-made garment manufacturing to forced labour in cotton fields further up the global apparel supply chain. Companies often find that global human rights standards are complex, unclear and not designed to regulate business operations.
Our legal advisory services help corporate counsel navigate through the human rights universe with confidence. Proposed solutions are grounded in a reasoned diagnosis of your tangible human rights impacts and risks.
Human Rights Diagnostic Services
How do you identify human rights issues and related risks? How do you recognize the common symptoms of human rights violations?
We start by learning about your business and reviewing key human rights standards with corporate counsel, as required. We explore whether your company already manages human rights issues using the language of Corporate Social Responsibility, Social License to Operate, Sustainability and legal compliance.
Our priority is to identify tangible human rights issues and risks. We work with you identify the classic symptoms of human rights risks, in countries, industries, projects, supply chains, and products. We help you map the “human rights footprint” of your business.
Diagnostic Services for Global Supply Chains
How do you recognize the symptoms of human rights risks in global supply chains?
Large human rights footprints are commonly found in the extractive, manufacturing and information technology industries – especially when they operate in countries known for weak or repressive systems of governance.
We offer diagnostic services that help you map the human rights footprints of:
- Global supply chains as a whole;
- Key supply chain partners;
- Other strategic business partners (including States and public corporations).
Diagnostics of Certification Schemes
How do you determine whether certification schemes are suitable for your business and human rights needs?
We can help retailers critically assess whether certification schemes reliably assure consumers that the supply chains of products they purchase are “free” of conflict, forced labour, child labour, trafficked labour, sweatshop working conditions and other human rights violations. We also provide opinions on the legal issues and implications.
Human Rights Due Diligence
How do you systematically map human rights impacts across your enterprise and a global supply chain?
Based on a reasoned preliminary diagnosis, we work with your corporation to conduct a structured review and assessment of human rights impacts across:
- Company Operations;
- Key Projects;
- Major Products and Services;
- Selected Supply Chain Partners;
- Other Business Partners.
We can work with you to map the human rights impacts against relevant human rights standards and design a structured process of Human Rights Due Diligence. This can include an assessment of legal, compliance and regulatory risks.
Human Rights Policy
What management action can you take to control human rights impacts?
Based on the process of Human Rights Due Diligence, we work with you to prevent, mitigate and remediate human rights impacts. We can also help develop processes of investigation, reporting and dialogue with stakeholders.
For companies exposed to human rights risks in their global supply chains, we develop policies that focus on:
- Your company’s position in the supply chain;
- Your key supply chain partners’ positions in the supply chain;
- Your leverage and influence over those partners;
- Strategic decisions to engage or disengage with risky business partners.