Canada’s enhancements to the Responsible Minerals Assurance Process (RMAP), which officially came into force at the start of 2023, have quietly started reshaping how tech hardware firms in the country approach mineral sourcing. The updated framework, while still aligned with the OECD Due Diligence Guidance, introduces more stringent requirements—most notably, periodic on-site audits of smelters […]
Since the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act came into effect in March 2022, most discussions have focused—understandably—on its domestic workplace implications. The law prohibits the enforcement of arbitration agreements in cases involving sexual misconduct, a shift that many view as long overdue. But its ripple effects extend beyond HR departments […]
The conversation around resource efficiency and circularity in supply chains has grown louder in recent years, and in South Korea, the legal framework is keeping pace. The 2023 amendments to the Act on the Promotion of Saving and Recycling of Resources have quietly—but firmly—pushed companies, particularly those in fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), toward much stricter […]
Japan’s regulatory and policy environment regarding supply-chain responsibility has, in recent years, evolved in ways that perhaps didn’t receive quite as much attention as comparable developments in the EU or US. But with the release of its Responsible Mineral Supply Chain Guidelines—which came into effect in April 2024—there is now clearer direction for companies, particularly […]
India’s regulatory landscape appears poised for another significant shift, this time in the realm of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) reporting. The Ministry of Corporate Affairs published its draft Corporate ESG Rules in July 2025, which—if finalized as expected—would impose mandatory ESG reporting on the top 1,000 listed companies by market capitalization. A key feature, […]
The US Securities and Exchange Commission’s proposed Climate-Related Disclosure Rule, which many expect to be finalized by the end of 2025, has already started reshaping corporate conversations in boardrooms across the country. At its core lies a rather simple, though undeniably weighty, demand: that publicly traded companies provide transparent, standardized reporting of climate-related risks. Of […]
Since the revised ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement (ATIGA) Rules of Origin came into force in July 2022, exporters across Southeast Asia have found themselves navigating a far more demanding compliance environment. At the heart of the change lies a sharper focus on verifiable proof of origin, designed to safeguard the integrity of preferential tariff […]
Since its entry into force in January 2023, the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) has steadily expanded the landscape of corporate disclosure. Much of the early focus fell, unsurprisingly, on large enterprises and publicly listed giants. But as the months have passed—and as deadlines for compliance loom—attention is shifting towards another group now firmly […]
The UK’s proposed Mandatory Human Rights and Environmental Due Diligence Bill—introduced in 2024 and now making its way through Parliament—has already prompted considerable debate in boardrooms and policy circles alike. Though formal enactment isn’t expected until early 2026, many companies, particularly those with annual turnovers exceeding £36 million, are starting to think seriously about what […]
When California passed the Transparency in Supply Chains Act back in 2010—though it only took effect in 2012—it was, in many ways, ahead of its time. The legislation compelled large retailers and manufacturers doing business in the state (those with over $100 million in annual revenues) to disclose their efforts to eradicate slavery and human […]
The proposal for the US Tariff Accountability Act, introduced earlier this year, is already generating considerable debate, particularly among those tasked with navigating the complexities of international trade compliance. While still under legislative review, and therefore subject to possible (perhaps even substantial) amendment, the basic contours of the proposed law are clear enough to warrant […]
Since its enactment in June 2015, Canada’s Extractive Sector Transparency Measures Act (ESTMA) has positioned itself as a tool — though perhaps not always as precise or decisive as originally envisioned — in promoting greater transparency within extractive industries. The underlying logic is familiar to most in policy and compliance circles: if firms engaged in […]
The European Union’s Conflict Minerals Regulation, which came into force in January 2021, marked a significant step toward addressing the human rights abuses and environmental degradation too often associated with the extraction of tin, tungsten, tantalum, and gold — collectively known as 3TG. The regulation was designed with a clear purpose: to compel EU importers […]
Since its introduction in 2017, France’s Duty of Vigilance Law has stood out as one of the more ambitious legislative efforts to impose corporate responsibility for human rights and environmental risks in global supply chains. The law — pioneering in many respects — has pushed large French multinationals to take a more active role in […]
The amendments to Australia’s Modern Slavery Act, passed earlier this year, have introduced tighter reporting requirements that are now beginning to ripple through supply chains — sometimes in ways that feel predictable, sometimes in ways that seem to catch even seasoned compliance teams off guard. For companies earning more than AUD 50 million annually, the […]
When the US Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) came into effect in January 2024, it marked, in some respects, a turning point in how corporate entities are expected to demonstrate transparency in their ownership structures. For many firms, especially those involved in international procurement or with complex supplier networks, the act’s new reporting requirements have introduced […]