Human Rights Responsible Business Practices
Human Rights and Responsible Business Practices Frequently Asked Questions
Introduction
The need for companies to understand and address human rights as a responsible business practice is growing. For the adidas Group this is reflected in the following key drivers. The first is the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises1 which were revised and re-issued in May 2011. The updated OECD Guidelines now include a chapter on Human Rights. The adidas Group has been a long time adherent to these voluntary guidelines, which sets out good practice for multinational companies in relation to a range of topics, including consumer interests, corruption, environment, employment and industrial relations. The OECD Guidelines have the backing of 41 countries globally, including Germany where the adidas Group is headquartered. The second driver is the work of the UN Special Representative on Business and Human Rights, Professor John Ruggie.2 After 6 years of consultations with the industry, governments and civil society, Professor Ruggie submitted his final report to the United Nations Human Rights Council on May 31, 2011.3 The report was unanimously endorsed by the Council. The UN Special Representative‟s report contains an important set of Guiding Principles, which outline how States and businesses should implement the UN Business and Human Rights Framework of “Protect, Respect and Remedy”.4 The adidas Group supports the UN Framework and has considered and incorporated key elements of the Guiding Principles into its general practice in managing the human rights impacts of its business. In particular, we have embedded human rights into our general risk management approach, which is explained in the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) below.
1
The OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises (hereafter OECD Guidelines) form part of the OECD Declaration on International Investment and Multinational Enterprises. The amended Guidelines were adopted by the forty-two
Introduction
The need for companies to understand and address human rights as a responsible business practice is growing. For the adidas Group this is reflected in the following key drivers. The first is the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises1 which were revised and re-issued in May 2011. The updated OECD Guidelines now include a chapter on Human Rights. The adidas Group has been a long time adherent to these voluntary guidelines, which sets out good practice for multinational companies in relation to a range of topics, including consumer interests, corruption, environment, employment and industrial relations. The OECD Guidelines have the backing of 41 countries globally, including Germany where the adidas Group is headquartered. The second driver is the work of the UN Special Representative on Business and Human Rights, Professor John Ruggie.2 After 6 years of consultations with the industry, governments and civil society, Professor Ruggie submitted his final report to the United Nations Human Rights Council on May 31, 2011.3 The report was unanimously endorsed by the Council. The UN Special Representative‟s report contains an important set of Guiding Principles, which outline how States and businesses should implement the UN Business and Human Rights Framework of “Protect, Respect and Remedy”.4 The adidas Group supports the UN Framework and has considered and incorporated key elements of the Guiding Principles into its general practice in managing the human rights impacts of its business. In particular, we have embedded human rights into our general risk management approach, which is explained in the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) below.
1
The OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises (hereafter OECD Guidelines) form part of the OECD Declaration on International Investment and Multinational Enterprises. The amended Guidelines were adopted by the forty-two