Fair Labor Association submits comments on the European Commission’s draft Company Sustainability Due Diligence Directive

Fair Labor Association (FLA) submitted feedback on May 23 to the European Commission on its draft Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD).

The draft directive, published on February 23, 2022, outlines a plan for implementing mandatory human rights due diligence in the European Union. 

FLA recommends that the Directive should ensure alignment with existing human rights due diligence standards such as the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the OECD Guidelines.

“In moving forward with any mandatory human rights due diligence framework,” FLA said, “it is critical to keep the words of the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights in mind: ‘The prevention of adverse impacts on people is the main purpose of human rights due diligence. It concerns risks to people, not risks to business.’”

Further, FLA encourages that the Directive establish standards for multistakeholder initiatives and the industry schemes the Directive envisions as implementation partners.

“FLA’s comprehensive human rights due diligence model, which holds companies accountable for upholding international human and labor rights laws, standards, and norms, can support business in fulfilling the CSDDD obligations,” according to the submission.

The European Commission received more than 280 submissions with feedback on the draft Directive.