EU draft law would require firms to check suppliers for huma
The proposal, called Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence, will also oblige boards of EU firms to ensure that their business model and strategy align with limiting global warming to 1.5 Celsius, as agreed under the Paris climate treaty. ADVERTISEMENT EU firms will have to make sure that their suppliers are not using forced labour, child labour, of inadequate workplace health and safety, exploitation of workers, or environmental offences like greenhouse gas emissions, pollution, or biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation. The Commission proposal, seen by Reuters, will only become EU law after lengthy negotiations with the European Parliament and EU governments that are likely to take more than a year. "The law could be a true game-changer for corporations impact on the planet, or it could be a damp squib if big business lobbies get their wishes," non-governmental organisation Friends of the Earth Europe said in a statement. The proposal estimates it would apply to 13,000 EU firms. The main criterion would be that a firm employs more than 500 people and has net turnover of more than 150 million euros.