April 2024: Business Statement in Support of EU CSDDD Ahead of Final EU Parliament Vote
The Business and Human Rights Resource Center coordinated a statement ahead of the April 24 final EU Parliament vote on the CSDDD to reiterate the support of companies, investors, and networks for the directive. The Investor Alliance and a number of its members were among the signatories. The statements reads:
A fair and sustainable future for people and planet
With the CSDDD, the European Union is set to make the largest businesses on the single market future-proof. The European political institutions have shown leadership and carefully consulted with relevant stakeholders. The outcome of this process is a law that creates a level playing field. It fosters collaborative approaches on sustainability between business partners.
We, large companies, SMEs, and networks, are already jointly working towards this future every day. Because respecting people and the planet is the only way of doing business properly. It is part of our companies’ value proposition. We believe taking responsibility and stepping up to the challenge is part of genuine entrepreneurship and corporate citizenship.
The CSDDD is substantially aligned with the international standards on Responsible Business Conduct. This makes it credible and its implementation manageable. At the same time, it is ground-breaking as it makes due diligence mandatory for companies that are in scope across the EU. This will raise the level of ambition, which is urgently needed.
We support the CSDDD and call on European decision makers to do so as well.