Exploring downstream due diligence: current company practice
Note: This webinar has ended. Find a recording of the webinar below.
Business can impact on human rights across all parts of their value chain – from the procurement of goods and services to the way in which their own products and services are marketed, sold, and used. International frameworks, including the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) as well as the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, expect companies to respect human rights and act with human rights due diligence throughout their activities and business relationships across the full value chain.
While numerous resources exist to support companies to conduct human rights due diligence in the upstream part of their value chain i.e. in procurement and sourcing related activities, the downstream part, i.e. the human rights due diligence activities of companies after the product or service has left the company, has been less emphasized. Current policy debates at the EU and OECD level are also considering the scope of human rights due diligence obligations. In a departure from the expectations of the UNGPs and OECD Guidelines, some have advocated an approach that limits requirements to conduct downstream due diligence to a limited set of circumstances – or not at all.
The Global Business Initiative on Human Rights (GBI) and the Danish Institute for Human Rights have both recently developed and published resources12 to further clarify the expectations of these key international frameworks and provide guidance and examples of company practice on downstream human rights due diligence. The resources developed serve to demonstrate how downstream due diligence is indeed already being conducted as an integral and crucial part the human rights due diligence of companies. During this online session we will hear about the resources developed and from companies on human rights due diligence in their downstream business activities.
Agenda
- 11.00-11.05
Welcome and opening remarks
Elin Wrzoncki, Department Director, Danish Institute for Human Rights - 11.05-11.12
Effective downstream human rights due diligence: Key questions for companies
Benn Hogan, Director, Global Business Initiative on Human Rights (GBI) - 11.12-11.17
Due Diligence in the Downstream Value Chain- Case Studies of Current Company Practice
Gabrielle Holly, Senior Advisor, Human Rights and Business, Danish Institute for Human Rights - 11.17-11.37
Current Company Practices
Caroline Onyango-Dyregaard, Senior Compliance Counsel, Novo Nordisk
Johanna Kock, Global Sustainability Manager, Pandora
David Pettet, Global Human Rights & Sustainable Supply Chain Director, Reckitt - 11.37-11.57
Joint Discussion - 11.57-12.00
Closing remarks
