In response to the deficiencies of previous governance arrangements aimed at preventing environmental degradation, workers’ rights violations, and human rights abuses, a new wave of supply chain laws based on a human rights and environmental due diligence (HREDD) approach has emerged (Gustafsson et al., 2023). Though widely regarded as an important progression, there is not sufficient evidence that speaks to the potential impact of these laws. This study seeks to address this gap by assessing whether the structure of supply chain networks facilitates compliance with these requirements, or whether it provides barriers for it, potentially reinforcing existing inequalities and environmental abuses. In the context of mandatory HREDD, we are interested in the degree to which buyers within the scope of the regulation can collectively or individually exert power over suppliers. We examine the apparel industry and focus on existing national-level European supply chain laws, as well as the latest agreed version of the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive. By mapping apparel buyer-supplier relations, visualizing the network structures arising from these relationships, and analyzing the power dynamics between network participants, we assess the potential of supply chain laws to improve environmental and labor conditions across specific factories and geographies, using leverage in the supply chain as a mechanism towards compliance with the law. Our results speak to the literature on the promise of supply chain laws and HREDD approaches, which so far either focuses on issues of institutional design (Gustafsson et al., 2023) and on buying firms’ practices (Dupont et al., 2024), rather than on how supply chain structures might affect the law’s potential. We also offer insights relevant for discussions of power in Global Value Chains (Dallas et al., 2019)—in particular on the role of power in the context of lead firm’s regulatory requirements.