Human rights due diligence

Human rights due diligence is a strategic necessity

Because the impacts of a company’s activities are not either all good or all bad, a human rights due diligence process is indispensable for tailoring strategies that avoid or minimize detrimental effects and maximize beneficial outcomes. Human rights due diligence pertains to your company’s efforts to manage risk factors that can deal a heavy blow to your business.

A human rights due diligence process you can rely on

A company performs human rights due diligence when it takes a series of actions to identify and address its impacts on people. Human rights can be impacted anywhere in your company’s value chain (direct operations, upstream, or downstream). We can use a meticulous approach to contribute to your company’s human rights due diligence process.


Human rights screening  

We examine the types of activities that are related to your company’s direct operations, your suppliers, and your clients and identify the people or stakeholder groups who can be affected (directly or indirectly) by these activities.  

Impact assessment

We examine the actual and potential human rights impacts your company causes—or contributes to—in different stakeholder groups across your value chain and the effects (positive or negative), severity, and likelihood of those impacts.

Ranking

Results of the impact assessment are used to categorize and prioritize impacts.

Identifying ways to address the issues

Based on insights obtained through these investigations, we suggest measures to prevent and mitigate adverse effects and identify opportunities for promoting positive human rights impacts.  

Think of human rights due diligence as an insurance policy that cushions your company from downturn

Greater ability to manage human rights risks

A human rights due diligence exercise reveals the aspects of your company’s business model that are affecting human rights the most and where in your value chain issues predominantly occur. This improved understanding of the human rights situation informs more efficient measures to mitigate impacts on people and limit risks to your business.

Reduction of liability risks

To play it safe in a context of mounting regulatory pressure and public awareness about human rights, your company can remediate negative human rights impacts in its value chain, thus fulfilling a legal obligation and reducing exposure to litigation, sanctions, and regulatory intervention.

Stronger brand image

Having a human rights due diligence process shows that your company is a responsible business that is not out there just to make money but that upholds high ethical and moral standards. This boosts positive perception of your brand, therefore increasing investor confidence and costumer trust and loyalty.

We can help with human rights due diligence.