Updates & Resources
Civil society organisations respond to Government plans to review approach to responsible business conduct
As part of its new Trade Strategy, launched on 26 June 2025, the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has announced that it will be reviewing the UK’s approach to ensuring responsible business conduct in global supply chains. In this statement, the UK’s Corporate Justice Coalition responds with six criteria that must be met to ensure meaningful outcomes for people and the planet.
New position paper on business and human rights from the perspective of rights-holders
Protecting and Realising the Human Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant peoples and Local Communities in the Context of Business and Human Rights is a new position paper co-authored by Indigenous, Afro-descendant, local community and civil society leaders who stand up daily against business harms to their human rights and the environment – harms connected to UK businesses and financial institutions.
Joint Committee on Human Rights declares domestic laws “inadequate” for tackling forced labour.
A new report on Forced Labour in UK Supply Chains, by the Joint Committee on Human Rights builds on recommendations first made in 2017, calling for the government to introduce mandatory human rights due diligence and a “failure to prevent” mechanism into domestic law.
New campaign from Fairtrade calls on UK Government, businesses, tea sector and tea drinkers to take action for fairer tea.
Read “Brew it Fair” to dive deeper into the reality for tea workers today and how we can all play a part in making the trade system fairer.
UN CESCR: the UK must establish a legal framework requiring businesses to conduct human rights due diligence.
The UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights has published a new report assessing the UK’s adherence to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and urging the UK Government to introduce mandatory human rights due diligence requirements, guarantee effective access to remedy and prioritise sectors that are causing serious human rights violations beyond borders.
The Business and Trade Committee: The Government must introduce mandatory human rights due diligence to keep up with global reforms and avoid becoming a “dumping ground”.
As part of a recent inquiry launched to inform a new Employment Rights Bill, the Business and Trade Commons Select Committee has recommended that the Government should introduce mandatory human rights due diligience legislation to align with global legislation and consider the creation of ‘Failure to Prevent’ offences like those set out in the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 to strengthen the Modern Slavery Act.
The Case for Change: Why human rights defenders need a UK law on mandatory due diligence
A new Peace Brigades International (PBI) UK investigation shows links between UK companies, environmental devastation and attacks on rights activists calling for law to ensure effective due diligence.
Modern Slavery Act Committee: UK’s response to modern slavery has not kept up with the advances of other nations
The Modern Slavery Act Committee summarises that international best practice has moved beyond requiring transparency to requiring companies to perform due diligence on their supply chains, and take action to eradicate modern slavery in their supply chains.
Business and human rights index report for Northern Ireland
The report assesses the corporate implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights in Northern Ireland. It finds that none of NI's top 20 companies could demonstrate full engagement with the basic expectations set out by the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. The highest score was 54%.
Lola Young's Private Members Bill has second reading
Lola Young's Private Members Bill has it's second reading in the House of Lords. Anti-Slavery International explains why such ground-breaking legislation is urgently needed in the UK.
Polling reaffirms: 4 in 5 UK adults want new UK laws requiring British companies to prevent human rights abuses and environmental damage
YouGov polling from April 2024 shows that more than 80% of British adults want new UK laws requiring British companies to prevent human rights abuses and environmental damage in their supply chain, and 73% think UK companies should be doing more to reduce their contribution to global warming.
Over 150 businesses and investors call on the UK government to introduce a new law
The statement calls for a new law that ensures accountability when businesses cause or contribute to harms. It calls for the law to hold businesses legally liable for harm, loss and damage arising from their failure to prevent adverse human rights and environmental impacts within their operations and throughout their global value chains and to require them to adequately compensate victims of abuse.
Private Members’ Bill in the House of Lords
In the Parliamentary session 2023-2024, Baroness Lola Young introduced a Private Members Bill in the House of Lords. The “Commercial Organisations and Public Authorities Duty (Human Rights and Environment) Bill” had its first reading on 28 November 2023 and its second reading on 10 May 2024 before collapsing due to the 2024 election.
Bridging the gap: How could a UK Business, Human Rights and Environment Act have made a difference?
This report documents in 15 case studies how well-known UK companies, financial institutions and public bodies have been and continue to be connected to human rights abuses, worker exploitation and environmental harm at home and abroad. Find out how a Business, Human Rights and Environment Act could have made a difference.
The Samarco dam disaster: BHP’s failure to take sufficient action (Brazil)
On 15 November 2015 the Fundão Dam, a holding structure for waste material from iron ore processing, collapsed and released 45 million cubic metres of waste into the River Doce. This killed 19 people and impacted the human rights of hundreds of thousands of people in surrounding communities including the human rights to life, health, water, food, adequate housing, work and education. Find out in our case study how a Business, Human Rights and Environment Act could have made a difference.
JCB: due diligence in the illegally Occupied Territories (Palestine)
JCB’s sole dealer in Israel is the Israeli company Comasco which holds contracts with Israel’s Ministry of Defence for the maintenance of the same model of JCB machines used in the demolition of Palestinian homes and property, and the construction of Israeli settlements. Find out in our case study how a Business, Human Rights and Environment Act could have made a difference.
CDC Group: financing Feronia for palm oil (DRC)
UK development finance is connected to palm oil plantations in northern Congo. Local communities claim that part of the plantations sit on land that was taken from them by the Belgian colonial administration. Land defenders are facing harassment and intimidation. Workers have been forced to work with toxic chemicals and local sources of drinking water are reportedly contaminated by industrial waste from the plantation. Find out in our case study how a Business, Human Rights and Environment Act could have made a difference.
Land-grabbing for palm oil (Liberia)
Communities in Liberia claim that UK agri-business EPO’s oil palm plantations have encroached on their land, which was illegally cleared for plantation, and that activities went ahead without their consent. As a result, they have lost their livelihoods, and community members who protested faced violence and intimidation. Find out in our case study how a Business, Human Rights and Environment Act could have made a difference.