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 […]
The introduction of Canada’s draft Modern Slavery Act in March 2025 has, perhaps predictably, sparked a mixture of anticipation and uncertainty among Canadian exporters and multinationals with ties to the Canadian market. The proposal, which would impose mandatory reporting requirements on firms with global revenues exceeding CAD 50 million, is still working its way through […]
Since January 2023, the German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act — or LkSG, as it is now generally abbreviated — has reshaped the landscape of corporate accountability for firms selling into the German market. For many small and medium-sized enterprises, the new obligations introduced by this law have added a layer of complexity that, to […]
Since the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act came into effect in June 2022, the conversation around trade compliance, particularly in relation to China’s Xinjiang region, has shifted in ways that, frankly, not all businesses anticipated. The law establishes a rebuttable presumption — in plain terms, it assumes that goods made wholly or in part in […]
The 2021 amendments to Japan’s Warehouse Act marked an important, if not inevitable, shift in how the country approaches food supply chain transparency, particularly in the grain sector. Although warehouse regulation has historically been something of a backstage affair—important, yes, but rarely the subject of policy debates—the growing global focus on food security, digital traceability, […]
The EU Deforestation Regulation, or EUDR as it’s now widely referred to, came into force at the end of 2023. Since then, the business community — or, to be more precise, those firms involved in sourcing or trading commodities like soy, beef, palm oil, timber, cocoa, and coffee — has been contending with a regulatory […]
The UK’s Modern Slavery Amendment Act (2024), in force since January, brings a notable shift in how businesses are expected to manage modern slavery risks in their operations and supply chains. While the 2015 Act was largely about disclosure, the amendment pushes firms toward more active due diligence — a move that, depending on one’s […]
The way we classify economic activity isn’t static. ISIC, the International Standard Industrial Classification, sits quietly behind almost every international economic comparison, but its role is more fundamental than many realize. In January 2024, ISIC entered its fifth official revision. If you spend your days navigating sectoral data, you’ll already be feeling the effects—or at […]
US Executive Order 14030, signed by President Biden in May 2022, represents a landmark in integrating climate considerations into federal procurement and financial systems. The Executive Order directs federal agencies to assess and mitigate climate-related financial risks, including those embedded in government supply chains. For US federal contractors, this mandate creates both an obligation and […]
Australia’s 2024 review of the Modern Slavery Act 2018, in force since January 2019, represents a significant evolution in the nation’s approach to combating forced labor within supply chains. The review tightened reporting thresholds by lowering the minimum consolidated revenue for mandatory reporting from AU$100 million to AU$50 million, substantially increasing the number of businesses […]
The COVID-19 pandemic fractured the global economy in ways that no single generation had experienced. When the initial shock faded and restrictions began to ease, there was hope that “recovery” would be a simple, uniform return to growth—a V-shaped bounce, as some optimists called it. It did not turn out that way. By now, we […]
The EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) entered its pilot phase in October 2023, marking a transformative shift in the bloc’s climate and trade policy. Designed to complement the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS), CBAM aims to prevent carbon leakage by requiring importers of certain carbon-intensive goods to report embedded greenhouse gas emissions and, ultimately, […]
Innovation is often hailed as the engine of economic growth. Yet, turning that slogan into actionable policy or strategic investment decisions demands something more than rhetoric—it requires measurement. One of the most powerful tools for benchmarking innovation is the patent system, where the output of research and development is documented, codified, and (with luck) protected. […]