New duty of vigilance law in France sets example for Europe

Under this new law, the largest French companies will have to assess and prevent their adverse human rights and environmental impacts. This includes impacts linked to their own activities and those of their subsidiaries, as well as activities of suppliers and subcontractors, with whom they have an established commercial relationship.
The Constitutional Court gave the green light to the law in March after several senators raised the question of its unconstitutionality. The Fair Trade Advocacy Office (FTAO) had joined others in the Fair Trade movement in signing a statement in support of the law. Find it here. The decision of the Court to keep the majority of the text and thus protecting the environment and human rights in international trade, is welcomed by the Fair Trade movement.
The FTAO calls for similar legislation to be adopted in European countries to make businesses (parent companies and suppliers) more accountable. For more details on the French duty of vigilance law, please check this FAQ by the European Coalition for Corporate Justice (ECCJ).