Business & Human Rights

Food Companies Face Lawsuits over Supply Chains

October 15, 2015

Highlighting the complexity inherent in requiring corporate disclosure of supply-chain activity, a set of class-action lawsuits against chocolate companies Mars, Nestle, and Hershey allege these companies violated a California law requiring that they disclose the use of child labor in their supply chains.
Japan Pension Fund Signs on to UN ESG Principles

October 14, 2015

Japan's Government Pension Investment Fund has announced that it has agreed to the UN Principles on Responsible Investment, which require signatories to consider environmental, social, and governance ("ESG") factors in investments, and that it will promote these Principles within Japan's finance industry.
NGO Seeks Strong Supply-Chain Reporting Laws

October 14, 2015

In a recent analysis of a California law requiring certain businesses to report on their efforts to eradicate forced labor in their supply chains, the nongovernmental organization KnowTheChain has criticized the limited reach of the law and calls for greater public transparency on which companies must prepare reports.
NGO Report Seeks Corporate Action on SDGs

October 14, 2015

Signifying pressure on businesses to support the global "sustainability" agenda, a report from the Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative at Harvard and the nongovernmental organization Business Fights Poverty examines how companies should contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals ("SDGs").
Paper Considers "Regulatory Ecosystem" to Advance BHR

October 09, 2015

In a recent paper, Dr. Jolyon Ford of the Australian National University considers how a "regulatory ecosystem" of voluntary and mandatory measures might advance the business and human rights ("BHR") agenda over the next ten years to the extent that it will become grounded in public law and international human rights law.