Mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence laws: what outcomes for rightsholders can businesses measure and report?

Event Details

This is a closed, invitation-only virtual roundtable that brings together human rights professionals in corporate managerial and strategic positions to discuss under the Chatham House Rule how businesses can measure and report outcomes for rightsholders under emerging human rights and environmental due diligence laws. The discussion will be guided by preliminary findings from an analysis of existing evidence and engagements with various stakeholders, including people with lived experience and business professionals.

This discussion is part of a research project on the impacts on rightsholders of mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence and forced labour trade ban laws. The event is convened and moderated by Dr Sofia Gonzalez De Aguinaga, BIICL's Research Leader on Business, ESG and Modern Slavery and Principal Investigator (PI) of this project.

Background

Mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence (mHREDD) laws establish a standard of business conduct to prevent human rights abuses in global supply chains based on the United Nations Guiding Principles (UNGPs). These laws have been developed and implemented for some years in France, Germany and Norway and on March 18th, 2026, the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD)—which all Members States must transpose into national law by 2028—entered into force under the Omnibus I. Outside of Europe countries like South Korea, Indonesia, and Thailand are working on developing similar laws.

However, to date there is little evidence on how mHREDD laws impact rightsholders and the role of businesses in measuring and reporting on outcomes for rightsholders under these laws. This roundtable will focus on discussing a range of outcomes for rightsholders and metrics, alongside the practical challenges and opportunities for translating processes into outcomes.

Agenda

Section 1: Introduction of attendees and introduction to the research project
Section 2: Identifying impacts of mHREDD laws on rightsholders
Section 3: Translating processes into outcomes
Section 4: Measuring and reporting on outcomes for rightsholders
Section 5: Conclusion and next steps

*A detailed agenda will be circulated with registered attendees ahead of the roundtable discussion.

Registration

This event is free of charge, but attendance is closed and strictly by invitation only. Spaces are limited. If you are a corporate human rights professional in a managerial or strategic role involved in human rights and environmental due diligence processes and would like to attend, please email Dr Sofia Gonzalez De Aguinaga at s.deaguinaga@binghamcentre.biicl.org.