Focus area · HRT
Human-rights risk where you produce, source and sell
Forced labour, child labour, unsafe work, land rights, security forces: we map the human-rights risks of your countries and sectors and show how authorities, courts and civil society have acted on them.
From reputational issue to legal duty
Human-rights due diligence has become a legal duty in several jurisdictions and a condition of market access in others. It starts with a risk analysis that is specific to countries, sectors and your own supply chain.
The regulatory picture is moving. The EU amended the CSDDD through the Omnibus I package, Germany is amending the LkSG, and the EU ban on products made with forced labour applies from December 2027. We state the legal position as of the report date.
Legal frameworks we map
We map the regimes that apply to your footprint. Typical anchors:
- German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (LkSG)
- Due-diligence duties for companies above the employee threshold, including the risk analysis under § 5 LkSG. Legislative changes are under way, among them the planned abolition of the reporting duty; the due-diligence obligations themselves remain.
- EU CSDDD
- Directive (EU) 2024/1760, amended by the Omnibus I Directive (EU) 2026/470: higher scope thresholds, transposition by 26 July 2028 and application from 26 July 2029.
- EU Forced Labour Regulation
- Regulation (EU) 2024/3015 prohibits placing products made with forced labour on the EU market or exporting them; it applies from 14 December 2027.
- UK Modern Slavery Act 2015
- Annual slavery and human-trafficking statement for organisations above the turnover threshold (section 54).
- US forced-labour import rules
- Section 307 of the Tariff Act and the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, enforced by US Customs and Border Protection through detentions and withhold release orders.
- International standards
- The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises and the ILO core labour standards as the reference for what counts as a risk.
This is a risk analysis, not legal advice. Where a finding raises a legal question, we say so and you take it to counsel.
What we look at
External analysis
Your exposure as the outside world sees it.
- Country situation on forced and child labour, occupational safety, freedom of association, land rights and security forces
- Sector-specific risk patterns along the supply chain
- Authority, court and import-ban cases in your sector and at your direct competitors
- UN, ILO and civil-society reporting on your countries and sectors
Internal analysis (under NDA)
Your exposure as your own data shows it.
- Supplier base by country, sector and tier
- Cases from your complaints procedure and grievance channels
- Supplier audit and assessment results
- High-risk raw materials in your products
Seven focus areas, mapped against every source we read.
| Module 1 · External analysis | Module 2 · Internal analysis (NDA) | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Focus area | Law & regulation | Enforcement record | Sector cases | Competitor cases | Indicators | Internal cases | Business partners | Sponsoring, donations, memberships | Gifts & hospitality |
| ABCAnti-bribery & corruption | Core source | Core source | Core source | Core source | Core source | Core source | Core source | Core source | Core source |
| AMLAnti-money laundering | Core source | Core source | Core source | Core source | Core source | Core source | Core source | Where relevant | Not used |
| ATRAntitrust & competition | Core source | Core source | Core source | Core source | Where relevant | Core source | Where relevant | Core source | Where relevant |
| FRDFraud | Core source | Core source | Core source | Core source | Where relevant | Core source | Core source | Where relevant | Where relevant |
| PRVData privacy | Core source | Core source | Core source | Core source | Where relevant | Core source | Where relevant | Not used | Not used |
| EXCExport control & sanctions | Core source | Core source | Core source | Core source | Where relevant | Core source | Core source | Not used | Not used |
| HRTHuman rights | Core source | Core source | Core source | Core source | Where relevant | Core source | Core source | Where relevant | Not used |
Highlighted row: HRT · Human rights
Typical red flags
- Suppliers in regions subject to forced-labour import restrictions
- Recruitment fees paid by workers, retained passports or opaque labour brokers
- Raw materials from conflict-affected or high-risk areas, e.g. tin, tantalum, tungsten, gold, cobalt or cotton
- Subcontracting chains with no visibility below the first tier
- Private or public security forces at operating sites
- Land acquisition without documented consent of affected communities
- Repeated complaints or NGO reports naming suppliers or competitors
Sources
- Reports of UN bodies, the ILO and OECD National Contact Points
- Authority and court decisions, e.g. BAFA, customs authorities and US withhold release orders
- Reputable NGO and investigative reports, cross-checked
- Indices such as the ITUC Global Rights Index or the Global Slavery Index: useful context, coarse at company level
Every finding in the report carries its source and date.
Typically exposed sectors
Exposure tends to be higher in labour-intensive and raw-material supply chains: textiles, agriculture and food, mining, electronics, construction and automotive, as well as in shipping and logistics.
A tendency, not a rating. Your actual exposure depends on business model, customer mix and footprint.
In your deliverable
- PDF: a human-rights chapter with legal map, country and sector risk patterns, cases, red flags and recommended measures
- Heatmap row per country × sector with the likelihood × impact rating
- XLSX: risk table by country, sector and risk type, case register and scoring sheet, structured for reuse in your due-diligence documentation
- With the internal module: your supplier base set against country and sector risk
Questions on human rights
Can the analysis serve as our risk analysis under the LkSG?
It provides the abstract country and sector risk picture and, with the internal module, the supplier-specific view. The risk analysis under § 5 LkSG, its prioritisation and the follow-up measures remain your responsibility; we structure the output so you can use it for that purpose.
Do you audit suppliers?
No. We do not carry out on-site audits. We show where audits, questionnaires or other measures are most warranted.
See where human-rights risk sits in your supply chain.
Tell us your sourcing countries, sectors and the duties you need to meet. We come back with a scope proposal.