CAOBISCO POSITION PAPER ON DUE DILIGENCE

• The EU Chocolate, Biscuits and Confectionery Industries are committed to ensuring that their products are manufactured responsibly and to the highest standards, minimising environmental impact and respecting the human rights of those in their value chains.

 

• Many of CAOBISCO members have private initiatives that empower farmers and their communities to improve their income, become more productive and climate-resilient, protect the environment, combat deforestation, and respect human rights in the supply chain. However, these initiatives need to be accompanied by due diligence systems in order to identify and address social and environmental risks and impacts, seeking greater transparency along the supply chain.

 

•  Therefore, CAOBISCO welcomes the European Commission’s intention to put forward a proposal for a mandatory due diligence legislation as part of their Sustainable Corporate Governance initiative.

 

• CAOBISCO members support an EU-wide due diligence approach that is aligned with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGP), and with the OECD-FAO Guidance for Responsible Agricultural Supply Chains.

 

•  The legislation should take into account the issue of proportionality of requirements, depending on the size of the company, its risk of being involved in severe human rights impacts, as well as the appropriate action it is expected to take depending on its involvement in an impact.

 

• This legislation should be developed as part of a “smart mix” of mutually reinforcing measures that foster business respect for human rights, such as trade preferences and development policies.

 

• The EU and Member States should exert direct leverage and support enabling environments to advance better human rights outcomes in their relationships with partner countries.

 

• This position paper provides CAOBISCO’s recommendations for the European Commission’s legislative proposal on due diligence, as part of the Sustainable Corporate Governance
  initiative.

Read our full position:CAOBISCO FINAL Position Paper Due Diligence final