Human rights risks
Human rights risk data is crucial for identifying key improvement areas and setting priorities within your supply chain, ensuring your organisation meets its responsible and sustainable goals.
This map shows the results of our human rights risk assessment of child labour in the cocoa sector in Cameroon. A risk score indicates the likelihood of a risk for a specific commodity in a particular region.
Would you like to see the complete list of available countries and commodities? See our catalogue of available countries and commodities. To learn how the scores were calculated, please visit the methodology page.
The human rights risk map covers the following risks for 9 commodities across 34 countries:
- Child labour
- Forced labour
- Discrimination
- Freedom of association and collective bargaining
- Occupational health and safety
- Insufficient remuneration
- Access to land and material resources
- Violence and harassment
Would you like to see the complete list of available countries and commodities? See our catalogue of available countries and commodities. To learn how the scores were calculated, please visit the methodology page.
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Why subnational and sector-specific data matters
Understanding the nuances of human rights risks across different regions and sectors is vital for effective action. Our dashboard provides sector-specific scores, reflecting the diverse production systems, cultivation methods and workforce dynamics. For example, in Colombia, the prevalence of smallholder farming in coffee production increases the risk of child labour compared to palm oil. Our subnational disaggregation empowers organisations to prioritise and address the most salient risks in their supply chain effectively.
Companies can use the risk scores to prioritise risks for a detailed, company-specific risk assessment in line with OECD guidelines. This involves scoping operations and relationships to address high-risk areas, develop strategies, comply with regulations like CSDDD, set KPIs, and monitor progress to mitigate potential adverse impacts.
FAQ
Dashboard coverage
What are the human rights risks covered by the dashboard?
For human rights risks, we incorporate 8 risks:- Child labour
- Forced labour
- Discrimination
- Freedom of association and collective bargaining
- Occupational health and safety
- Insufficient remuneration
- Access to land and material resources
- Violence and harassment
Which agri commodities are covered by the dashboard?
The human rights risks dashboard currently covers 9 commodities across 34 countries.Which countries are covered by the dashboard?
The human rights risks dashboard currently covers 34 countries.Does the dashboard also cover environmental risks?
Yes, the Due Diligence Dashboard also provides insights into 7 environmental risk themes:- Deforestation
- Biodiversity loss
- Water stress
- Climate change
- Eutrophication
- Acidification
- Ecotoxicity
Sign up for free to view data on all human rights and environmental risk themes specific to the coffee and palm oil sector in Colombia.
How can I access more human rights risks scores?
You can access more human rights risks scores by signing up for the free dashboard. After signing up you immediately have access to 8 human rights risks scores and 7 environmental risks scores, specific to the coffee and cocoa sector in Cameroon.For more countries and/or commodities, explore our premium dashboard.
Methodology & interpretation
What definitions of the risk themes do you apply?
The definitions of the risk themes applied in the dashboard are outlined in the full methodology document(externe link).What is the rationale for selecting these themes?
The selected themes were chosen to, combined, cover the most relevant sustainability risks in global agricultural supply chains. They are aligned with major international standards and (regulatory) frameworks in the field of Corporate Sustainability Reporting and Responsible Business Conduct, such as: the UN Guiding Principles, OECD Guidelines, Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), and the EU due diligence legislation (CSDDD).How are the risk scores calculated?
The human rights risk scores are calculated using a comprehensive methodology combining existing data on various national and subnational theme-related indicators with insights from a standardised literature review. These scores support your initial steps towards aligning with Due Diligence legislation. For the full methodology see the methodology page.How do you keep the scores up to date?
Currently, the scores are based on data collected in 2023. As soon as updated data becomes available, it will be promptly incorporated into the risk scores. Users will be promptly notified of the updated data, and provided with information regarding the option to acquire the new scores. Once purchased, users retain perpetual access to the selected data.How is limited data availability managed, and how is data quality assessed?
The selection of the indicators depends on the availability of data. When there are no direct indicators available, we use proxies instead. In addition to relevance to the theme, indicators are also required to meet three other criteria.First, we rely on data sources which have a history in data collection, are transparent about their methods, and provide updates regularly - this is important as a risk assessment also needs to be updated on a regular basis.
Second, we look for data sources that are independent (as far as possible), meaning government (UN, ILO, World bank, OECD), research centres (World Policy Center), or a consortium of NGOs and government.
Third, data should preferably cover more than 100 countries (this is important for upscaling of the number of countries and commodities covered). Furthermore, we check the indicators for reliability, as well as for the reference year. If we find highly outdated data entries, defined as more than 10 years old, then we exclude them from our analysis.
The methodology is developed with the most reliable and up-to-date scientific knowledge, and is currently being validated by thematic and methodological experts.
How should I interpret the risk scores?
A risk score indicates the likelihood of a risk for a specific commodity in a particular region. The human rights risk scores are benchmarked to a single score between 0 and 5, where 0 indicates no risk at all, 1 indicates a very low risk, and 5 indicates a very high risk. The human rights risk scores can be compared across different commodity sectors and various regions within a country. It is important to note that risk scores on the lower end of the scale (e.g. a risk score of 2) still require further assessment.What is a human rights risk assessment?
A human rights risk assessment is a high-level assessment of the most salient risks - based on criteria of severity and likelihood - that companies may encounter within their supply chains. This concerns either their own business operations, their direct suppliers, or their indirect suppliers. A human rights risk assessment typically consists out of three levels of assessment:- A high-level risk assessment, that identifies key risks within a specific geography, sector, and product. This assessment, combined with enterprise-specific risks enables a first prioritisation of risks to be used as input for deeper risk assessment. The human rights risk scores are intended for this purpose.
- An in-depth risk and impact assessment is the next step. This is an assessment of company-specific risks by assessing prioritised Responsible Business Conduct risks and prioritised operations, suppliers, or other business relationships. This second step provides a company-specific basis to address, prevent, mitigate, and remediate (potential) adverse impacts.
- An event-based risk assessment, which is an incidental risk assessment, based on the occurrence of specific changes. It can be triggered, for example, by changes in business activities, by new substantiated knowledge such as reporting on incidents, or by changes in the operating environment, whether actual or expected, such as societal tensions.
Legislative compliance & next steps
What does the EU supply chain legislation imply for my organisation?
Different EU legislation have a due diligence component, amongst other: the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), the Forced Labour Regulation, and the EU Deforestation Legislation (EUDR). All these legislation require companies to take concrete steps -although their exact requirements differ- to systematically identify, asses and address human rights or environmental risks in their operations and supply chains, and prove that they have done so through documented, risk-based due diligence processes.The adopted Omnibus package (2025) -meant to simplify and reduce the regulatory burden- has revised some of the thresholds, timing and scope of EU supply chain legislation. Delaying the implementation of various legislations and decreasing their scope and requirements.
The OECD Guidelines and UNGPs play a central role as being a reference framework for many of the EU’s due diligence laws. As such they provide a useful starting point for establishing a harmonized framework for broader due diligence compliance.
What does the CSDDD imply for my organization?
EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) mandates that companies operating within the European Union integrate human rights and environmental considerations into their business strategies and operations. This involves identifying, preventing, mitigating, and accounting for actual and potential adverse human rights and environmental impacts.Companies are required to establish and implement due diligence processes, which include regular assessments, taking appropriate measures to prevent or mitigate risks, tracking the effectiveness of these measures, and publicly reporting on their due diligence activities. The directive aims to promote sustainable and responsible corporate behaviour, ensuring that businesses contribute positively to global sustainability goals.
The omnibus package (2025) meant a severe renegotiation of the original directive: o.a. delaying it implementation, narrowing its scope, removing the uniform liability rules and altering the value chain cap. The adoption of the final text is expected by the end of 2025. With the omnibus package under way it is likely that the CSDDD will only apply to a limited number of companies across the EU, with only the largest multinational companies (in terms of size and revenue) will remain in scope.
How do the risk scores help my organisation to be compliant with the EU CSDDD legislation?
The EU CSDDD requires companies to identify, prevent, mitigate, and account for how actual and potential adverse impacts are addressed. The directive allows for the prioritisation of topics to be addressed. The risk scores can be used for this step. Please note that relatively low risk scores still require further assessment to determine if any company-specific adverse impacts may be at play.The CSDDD doesn’t apply to me, why should I still care?
While other EU supply chain legislation might still be relevant from a legal compliance perspective. And many companies and countries have committed themselves to adhere to the principles of the OECD Guidelines and UNGPS. There are more reasons to engage in a risk-based assessment being:- An ethical pledge to adhere to social and environmental standards
- A practical tool for screening new sourcing locations
- A starting point to make concrete contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
- A necessary way to guarantee the future viability of specific supply chains.
What are the next steps I can take based on these risk scores?
Organisations can use the risk scores directly as input for a prioritisation of risks for the second level of risk analysis: a company-specific in-depth risk and impact assessment. Following the OECD guidelines, the user is expected to combine these risk scores with an enterprise-specific risk assessment as a basis for prioritisation. This involves high-level scoping of a company’s areas of operation and type of business relationships.The user combines these two assessments to prioritise human rights risks and specific operations, suppliers, or business operations as input for a company-specific risk assessment. Countries, regions, and/or commodity sectors with higher levels of risk and prioritised operations, suppliers, or business relationships could be the first ones to be tackled by a companies’ measures aimed at e.g. the prevention or remediation of (potential) adverse impacts.
Based on the risk scores, companies take steps in areas such as:
- Strategy and policy development: Gaining clarity on the major risks within the company's chain of activities to prioritise risks and impact areas, engage internal stakeholders, and develop policies to manage these risks.
- Being compliant with CSDDD: Comprehending the steps required for compliance, including the obligation of risk identification, and conducting thorough investigations into major risks to formulate action plans for their mitigation.
- Determining the right KPIs when developing an improvement programme, and monitoring, benchmarking, and communicating results.
- R&D development: Learning from other areas where certain risks are lower or decreasing, including benchmarking.