Library of Selected Due Diligence Measures in the Agri-food and Mining Sectors

Governments have implemented, or are implementing, institutional frameworks that aim to encourage businesses to perform better—for instance, by identifying risks, mitigating and responding to them, and holding the private sector accountable for the impacts of its practices. In that context and specifically in the last 2 decades, due diligence regulations have taken centre stage, with several regulations being adopted by governments, mainly in the Global North, that promote responsible business conduct and respect for human rights and environmental standards.

This workbook aims to provide a systematic overview and analysis of due diligence regulations by mapping their main provisions against common themes, serving as an initial step toward promoting interoperability. Importantly, this workbook should not be regarded as legal advice or an exhaustive resource. Instead, it is intended as a starting point for understanding the compliance landscape.

This workbook uses the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's (OECD's) definition of due diligence. Specifically, it draws on the OECD Review of G7 Government-led Voluntary and Mandatory Due Diligence Measures for Sustainable Agri-food Supply Chains (2024) to identify relevant regulations and develop the analytical framework for mapping them. According to the OECD, responsible business conduct due diligence "helps companies to identify, prevent, mitigate, and account for potential and actual adverse environmental and social risks and impacts of their operations, supply chains, and other business relationships." This workbook focuses on 12 mandatory public policy measures that incentivize due diligence practices:

1. U.S. Lacey Act
2. California Transparency Act
3. UK Modern Slavery Act
4. Japan Clean Wood Act
5. French Duty of Vigilance
6. EU Conflict Minerals Regulation
7. Swiss Ordinance on Due Diligence and Transparency in Relation to Minerals and Metals From Conflict-Affected Areas and Child Labour
8. UK Environment Act
9. U.S. Uyghur Forced Labour Prevention Act
10. German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act
11. EU Deforestation-Free Regulation
12. EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive

The requirements of these selected regulations are shown under the following common themes: risk management, transparency, traceability, accountability, stakeholder engagement, and legality.