GLOBAL COMPANIES AND HUMAN RIGHTS: TOWARD RESPONSIBLE GOVERNANCE

Resumo

Global value chains (GVCs) represent a production model that allows large corporations to benefit from localized competitive advantages by relocating segments of production and services to countries with low labour costs or limited protections. While this structure generates economic and employment opportunities on the one hand, on the other it entails risks of exploitation, precarious work, and human rights violations. In this context, the concept of due diligence has emerged, understood as the duty of companies to exercise care in preventing negative impacts on fundamental rights throughout the entire supply chain. Following initial national experiences (France and Germany), the European Union has adopted the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), which aims to impose obligations of prevention and remediation with regard to potential social and environmental violations. This contribution examines the scope of application of the Directive and the role of stakeholders, including trade unions, which play a significant role in the protection of human rights within value chains. In conclusion, brief reference is made to the possibility of a digital solution capable of monitoring the supply chain and fostering a collaborative approach in which States, supranational institutions, NGOs, companies, and workers act jointly to ensure that the globalization of labour does not result in precariousness and exploitation.