In person icon Human Rights and Environmental Due Diligence Legislation: Actors, Contexts, and Conditions for Effectiveness

Abstract

The growing adoption of new supply chain regulations building on Human Rights and Environmental Due Diligence (HREDD) has often been described as a groundbreaking shift for different actors involved in the governance of global supply chains. This new trend presents a unique opportunity to examine the roles of various actors, the contextual factors influencing policy success, and the conditions necessary for the effectiveness of these laws. This panel explores how governments on both sides of the supply chain, diverse civil society actors, corporations, and local communities engage with and respond to HREDD frameworks, in the context of varied structural and contextual conditions that shape their impact. The papers in this panel collectively offer new insights into the complex dynamics of policy implementation and the factors that drive the success or failure of these regulations. One paper investigates how timing and alignment of demand-side policies with local supply-side measures can enhance the effectiveness of deforestation-free supply chain laws in Ghana. It emphasizes the importance of policy sequencing for improving policy uptake and sustainability outcomes. Another paper uses an organizational ecology perspective to explore how mandatory sustainability due diligence regulations create new survival pressures for Voluntary Sustainability Standards (VSS), compelling them to adapt. This paper looks at how VSS organizations, particularly in the agricultural sector, navigate the shifting governance landscape shaped by regulatory changes. A third paper focuses on the structural characteristics of the apparel supply chain, examining how power dynamics between buyers and suppliers influence compliance with human rights and environmental due diligence laws. It argues that the structure of supply chains, including the relationships between lead firms and their suppliers, plays a crucial role in determining the effectiveness of regulatory requirements. Another paper examines the French Duty of Vigilance law, which allows for civil lawsuits against companies for harm caused abroad. This study explores how legal and reputational accountability mechanisms have been used by civil society actors to push for corporate compliance, despite the challenges associated with transnational litigation. Finally, a meta-analysis synthesizes the findings from empirical case studies on the effects of global supply chain due diligence regulations. This paper compares and contrasts the impacts of laws like the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive and the German Supply Chain Act, highlighting key patterns and contextual factors that determine the effectiveness of these regulations. It reveals common challenges, such as enforcement gaps and capacity constraints, and underscores the importance of collaboration between public and private actors in driving meaningful change. Together, these papers shed light on the multiple factors that influence the effectiveness of due diligence legislation. They highlight the diverse actors involved in shaping and implementing these laws, the role of contextual factors in determining policy outcomes, and the complex conditions that contribute to the success or failure of regulatory frameworks aimed at fostering sustainable and responsible global supply chains.

Title	Details
The essence of timing for policy uptake: The case of land use sustainability in global supply chains	View Paper Details
Sustainability due diligence regulations and voluntary sustainability standards: an organizational ecology perspective	View Paper Details
Structural Characteristics of the Apparel Supply Chain—Enablers or Barriers to the Influence of Due Diligence Laws?	View Paper Details
Leveraging reputational and legal accountability under the French Duty of Vigilance law	View Paper Details
Effects of global supply chain due diligence regulations – a meta analysis	View Paper Details