Germany leading human rights supply chain integration efforts

Sarah Crowder is quoted in the International Financial Law Review regarding the navigation of compliance standards of human rights laws within supply chains. Ms. Crowder says, “The first step is understanding which laws you need to comply with. Most of our clients are multinational companies subject to various legal regimes. Taking modern slavery reporting as an example, a company may have obligations to comply with laws in California, the UK, and Australia, and a number of jurisdictions are currently considering passing similar laws.”

For example, she says, several U.S. government agencies issued a business advisory in July 2020 citing challenges conducting due diligence in China, with a particular focus on challenges in the Xinjiang region. “They stated that audits alone may not be a credible source of information on whether forced labor indicators are present,” she adds.