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A decade after the UN Guiding Principles, companies have a new responsibility

Désirée Abrahams, (Aug 3, 2021)

COMMENT: Désirée Abrahams of Global Action Plan argues that a new approach to due diligence is needed that spans both action to address climate change and unintended human rights consequences

Brand Watch: Xinjiang forced labour allegations put brands and investors in hot seat

Oliver Balch, (Apr 28, 2021)

In contrast to their positioning on climate action, companies are struggling to get on the front foot with human rights risk, Oliver Balch reports

‘Building a more equitable, just and sustainable economy is no longer an ideal. It’s imperative’

Kristen Lang, (Oct 8, 2020)

Comment: Kristen Lang, senior director of the Ceres Company Network, explains how the Ceres Roadmap 2030 can help companies not only survive, but thrive over the coming decade by changing the way they do business

'With labour exploitation worsening during Covid, tech giants must allow workers to join unions'

Felicitas Weber, (Jun 22, 2020)

Comment: Felicitas Weber of the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre says while there has been some progress on addressing modern slavery by electronics companies, implementation lags policy

‘Do we need a Paris Agreement on social issues to get companies to take them seriously?’

Mike Scott, (Aug 6, 2019)

With transparency on human rights lagging climate change in corporate reporting, Mike Scott looks at the rising reputational, legal and brand risks, and some of the companies that are leading the way

‘The risk of worker exploitation is as high in Leicester as in Turkey or Bangladesh’

Mark Hillsdon, (Aug 6, 2019)

Mark Hillsdon reports on why Leicester-based Next is unable to source garments from factories on its own doorstep

CSR Cheat Sheet: 2020 deforestation targets to be missed

Oliver Balch, (Apr 11, 2019)

Negative progress towards a deforestation-free economy; global chemical industry faces pollution problem as demand increases; and fashion industry under pressure over transparency of its supply chains in Oliver Balch’s sustainability news roundup

‘The travel industry is at the front line of human trafficking. It must act’

Barbra Anderson, (Jan 22, 2019)

Barbra Anderson of Destination Better says that by having robust programmes in place, hotels will be better placed to address the risks of participating in modern slavery

Hotels try to turn the tide on human trafficking 

Amy Brown, (Jan 20, 2019)

Traffickers often rely on hotels to sustain their operations using them to house their victims or sell forced services, but now many in the industry are taking steps to tackle the problem. Amy Brown reports

A year of straddling the fault lines on human rights

John Morrison, (Dec 18, 2018)

John Morrison of the Institute for Human Rights and Business says 2018 saw business find common cause with civil society on fundamentals such as rule of law and freedom of expression

‘Gross inequality is the tragedy of the commons we must face up to in 2019’

Caroline Rees, (Dec 18, 2018)

Caroline Rees of Shift says says CSR commitments are no longer enough. Companies must make deep structural changes to attack the root causes of inequality

‘Philanthropy won't be enough to address the ‘people’ part of the Global Goals’

Sara Blackwell, (Nov 22, 2018)

Sara Blackwell of Shift says companies have been slow to grasp the truly positive results of working to address adverse impacts on people’s basic rights in everything they do as a business

Comment: ‘Benchmarking has started a race to the top on human rights reporting’

Magdalena Kettis, (May 18, 2018)

The Corporate Human Rights Benchmark has led to a surge in human rights reporting since it was launched a year ago, but the failure of more than a quarter of companies to engage is cause for deep concern, says Magdalena Kettis of Sweden’s Nordea Bank

'Commonwealth countries must join forces to defeat modern slavery'

Andrew Forrest, (Apr 30, 2018)

Andrew Forrest of Walk Free Foundation and Lord Carlile of Berriew argue that the UK leadership on tackling human rights abuse will be critical over the next two years

British retailers target modern slavery in concerted bid to tackle SDGs

Claire Manuel, (Apr 10, 2018)

Boots, John Lewis, M&S, and Sainsbury’s among 25 UK firms to collaborate on addressing issues like recruitment fees in their supply chains

Fairtrade shrugs off Sainsbury's controversy with 7% growth in sales

Terry Slavin, (Feb 27, 2018)

Co-op and Waitrose help boost revenues as Fairtrade Fortnight begins with focus on living wage for banana farmers

Tim Mohin: ‘The world doesn’t need more CSR reports’

Terry Slavin, (Feb 4, 2018)

The new GRI chief talks to Ethical Corporation’s editor Terry Slavin about how to make sustainability reporting more relevant for investors and CEOs

Top stories of 2017: #5 Focus sharpens on human rights in supply chains

Nadine Hawa, (Dec 13, 2017)

Nadine Hawa charts a momentous year, including the Corporate Human Rights Benchmark and UNGP assurance guide, new stakeholder alliances, the spread of disruptive technology and France's due dilligence law

CSR Cheat Sheet: Modern slavery risks rise

Oliver Balch, (Aug 31, 2017)

Influx of immigrants has led to increase in forced labour in three-quarters of EU states, with greatest risk in Italy, Greece, Romania, Cyprus and Bulgaria

Weekly Watch: 30 March 2017

Rebecca Ley, (Mar 15, 2017)

Hammerson curbs emissions, Britvic wood fibre bottles, SCA targets menstrual health, The Body Shop boosts community trade, and Trump warned over Clean Power Plan

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