Human rights due diligence and state-imposed forced labor under the German Supply Chain Act
Policy paper
2024
The existence of state-imposed forced labor as a systemic human rights violation within global value chains requires an urgent corporate response. Although the issue of state-imposed forced labor and its presence within global production networks is not a recent phenomenon, it has gained international prominence in recent years. With the introduction of human rights due diligence laws in Europe, companies now have a legal obligation to respect human rights in their supply chains. Most recently, the German Supply Chains Act (Lieferkettensorgfaltspflichtengesetz, LkSG) entered into force in January 2023.
This policy paper proposes key considerations for the implementation of the due diligence obligation under the LkSG in relation to state-imposed forced labor. Using the example of forced labor in the Uyghur Region of China, which has been connected to the supply chains of numerous German companies, it emphasizes that human rights due diligence carried out by companies operating in or sourcing from this region must take into account the specific political, legal and cultural context in which these human rights violations are occurring.
