The U.K. government announced Wednesday that it will introduce mandatory due diligence legislation requiring large corporations to identify and address human rights abuses and labor exploitation within their operations and supply chains.
The new rules, which will apply to companies with global or U.K. turnover exceeding 350 million pounds ($471 million), are set to span services across the United Kingdom and goods in Great Britain, with Northern Ireland covered under the EU Forced Labour Regulation via the Windsor Framework.
“The regime will be risk-based, proportionate and reflect how responsible businesses already manage risk by aligning with established international standards, including the OECD Guidelines for Responsible Business Conduct and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights,” Jonathan Reynolds, secretary of state for business, innovation, science and trade, said in a statement.
The government will also introduce powers to remove goods made with forced labor from the Great Britain market. A regulator, Reynolds said, will be empowered to investigate businesses suspected of placing such goods on the market and, where due diligence obligations have not been met and forced labor is identified, direct their withdrawal.
“This will provide a clear and targeted mechanism for tackling some of the most serious abuses in global supply chains and protecting responsible businesses from unfair competition,” he said.
’s approach to promoting responsible business conduct, which found the country’s current framework for preventing forced labor to be fragmented and overly reliant on voluntary action and reporting measures.
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