BHRJ Blog
Welcome to the blog of the Business and Human Rights Journal, an authoritative platform for scholarly debate on all issues concerning the intersection of business and human rights in an open, critical and interdisciplinary manner.
Latest posts:
- Human Rights Disclosures in Canada’s Securities Law: Potential changes from the Supreme Court’s decision on Lundin Mining Corp v Markowich
- Civil liability for Corporate Human Rights Violations in the European Union – What do Member States Need to do After the Omnibus?
- Corporate Capture and Climate Governance: Agribusiness, Pesticides, and Human Rights in Brazil
- Invisible Infrastructures, Visible Harm: Data Centres, Environmental Risk and Corporate Human Rights Due Diligence
- ESG Scores Are Rising. Worker Abuses Are Not Falling.
Human Rights Disclosures in Canada’s Securities Law: Potential changes from the Supreme Court’s decision on Lundin Mining Corp v Markowich
Introduction Since the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) recognized a stand-alone responsibility for businesses to respect human rights, global implementation of mandatory human rights due diligence has been mixed (a trend observed in this blog post). A recent court case from Canada’s apex court has repeated this pattern of mixed…
Civil liability for Corporate Human Rights Violations in the European Union – What do Member States Need to do After the Omnibus?
Accountability of corporations and remedy for rightsholders are critical components to ensure the effectiveness of corporate human rights and environmental due diligence. Comprehensive and effectively designed access to justice is essential, not only to encourage companies to act more responsibly, but also to give those affected the opportunity to seek remedial action. Nonetheless, barriers to…
Corporate Capture and Climate Governance: Agribusiness, Pesticides, and Human Rights in Brazil
Introduction The business and human rights agenda often asks how companies can be held accountable for harms already produced. For example: contamination, deforestation, labor analogous to slavery or carried out in precarious conditions, forced displacement, and violations against Indigenous peoples, traditional communities, or human rights defenders. This question remains indispensable. But, as private interests increasingly…
Invisible Infrastructures, Visible Harm: Data Centres, Environmental Risk and Corporate Human Rights Due Diligence
An Underexplored Issue in Environmental (Criminal) Law The recent global surge in the construction of data centres, together with the planning of new facilities across multiple jurisdictions, raises questions concerning corporate responsibility for environmental and human rights impacts at both national and international levels. While the environmental impact of data centres has long been discussed…
ESG Scores Are Rising. Worker Abuses Are Not Falling.
A week ago, I read the labour standards of one of the world’s most recognised agricultural certifiers. The requirement under “Hired Labour” included developing policies to address the most salient risks, communicating them to staff, and revising them every three years. A second major certifier said almost the same: conduct a risk assessment, build a…
From Business Continuity to Criminal Liability: Lessons from the Lafarge Case
On 13 April 2026, the Paris Criminal Court delivered its long-awaited verdict in the case against the French cement company Lafarge. The decision marks a significant development at the intersection of corporate governance, business and human rights, and international criminal law. It provides a rare and concrete example of how domestic criminal courts may assess…
From Rhetoric to Practice: The EU–India Trade Deal is a Start, but Turning Sustainability Promises into Impact Will Take Far More
As India and the European Union move closer to a Free Trade Agreement (FTA), much of the attention has focused on tariffs, market access and climate cooperation. But the most consequential test of this deal will not be how efficiently goods move across borders. It will be whether the agreement meaningfully improves outcomes for workers,…
Rethinking the Corporate Role in Russia’s War on Ukraine: From Accountability to Reparations?
Introduction On 24th February 2022, the world was shaken with Russia’s initiation of a full-scale invasion against Ukraine, recognised by the United Nations (UN) as an act of aggression. This new chapter in interstate conflict raised questions about the alleged human rights impacts of corporate actors linked to gross violations committed in Ukraine. Initially, the…
The French Duty of Vigilance Law in Action: Landmark Ruling by the Paris Court Granting Remedy to Workers and a Union
The second ruling on the merits of the 2017 Duty of Vigilance Law was pronounced on March 12, 2026. The case concerned an abroad subsidiary of a French company. Less than one year after the ruling against La Poste of the Appeal Court, that had ordered the defendant to rewrite its vigilance plan, this time…
From Business of Human Rights to Business For Human Rights: The Foundations and Future of the BHR Profession
In Blogs I, II, and III, we explored how the evolving landscape of Business and Human Rights (BHR) has begun to fundamentally challenge both the traditional role of the lawyer and the professional obligations of a growing group of practitioners. Lawyers, consultants, auditors, and other professionals increasingly make their living by advising on, implementing, and…
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