Why We Need to Push for a Strong CSDDD Framework

Two weeks ago, two of our staff visited a packaging and printing workshop in Pakistan. The owner proudly showcased his latest boxes for duvets sold by a German retailer. The quality of the cardboard was impressive, especially considering the workshop’s lack of basic health and safety standards. Even more striking was that the cardboard was made from recycled materials, which was -as our staff observed firsthand - produced in an even poorer neighbourhood, with the help of local children who, unable to attend school, contribute to their family’s incomes.

Last month, our staff in the DRC visited the homes of 13 children working in artisanal mines for cobalt and copper. The cobalt they prepared would ultimately be sold to mainstream global refineries in China.

Meanwhile, our team in India is compiling a report on children reunited with their families after being found working on a tea estate, hundreds of kilometres from home.

We could share similar stories from more industries and countries. A common thread is that children and communities are denied their fundamental rights, as they engage in the production of goods sold in Europe and the U.S. These linkages are often murky or difficult to trace, and none of the production units mentioned had written contracts with their buyers, middlemen, or exporters.

Excluding these lower tiers from accountability and placing all responsibility on first-tier suppliers will not drive the necessary change. Here’s why:

• First-tier suppliers are often smaller and less influential, struggling to exert leverage in lower tiers.

• Many issues in upstream supply chains stem from purchasing practices in downstream chains.

• Limiting our focus to direct partners overlooks these critical dependencies.

• For the past 25 years, this approach has led to mediocre results, jeopardising the well-being of people in our supply chains and the businesses themselves.

• Child labour exemplifies this issue. Focusing solely on first-tier partners and expecting contractual agreements to eliminate child labour in printing and packaging workshops, farms, and artisanal mines is either naive or shows we don’t care.

In any case, it’s ill-advised and could backfire, leading to unstable supply chains, increased migration as communities struggle to find decent livelihoods, and environmental degradation caused by poor production processes driven by irresponsible purchasing practices.

The leaked Omnibus Revisions are merely suggestions and require approval from the European Parliament. Let’s push for a strong CSDDD framework, ensuring it recognises the profound connections we share with the communities producing our products.