The UK must fight human rights and environmental abuses in its supply chains   – Inside track

This post is by Ben Leather, director of Peace Brigades International UK (PBI), and Christina Challis, advocacy manager at PBI UK. PBI provides protection and support to individuals, communities, movements and organisations that defend human rights and the environment, through its unique model of holistic protective accompaniment. 

In the shadows of irresponsible corporate operations around the world, human rights defenders risk their lives to protect their communities. Last week, two such activists from Mexico and Indonesia brought their testimony to London, revealing the devastating human cost of corporate negligence and highlighting the need for binding legislation on human rights and environmental due diligence (effective vetting of activities to avoid harm). 

Individuals around the world fighting for community rights are threatened
Jesús Thomas González is from the El Bajío community in Mexico which has stood against overwhelming odds. They have fought legal battles over years with Penmont, a subsidiary of UK-incorporated Fresnillo PLC, which extracted over 236,709 ounces of gold illegally from communal land. Despite court rulings favouring the community, the company has yet to provide reparations. The human cost is devastating: community leaders opposing the mine were murdered in 2018 and 2021 together with their wives. Jesús himself faces death threats. 

Dorthea Wabiser, a young Indigenous researcher from West Papua, Indonesia, works for the organisation PUSAKA, documenting the struggles of Indigenous communities as their ancestral lands face devastation from large scale deforestation. Much of her focus is on a two million hectare initiative to clear land for large scale rice and sugar cane production, as well as bioethanol plantations. Backed by the Ministries of Defence and Agriculture, the project threatens not just the environment but entire ways of life. Dorthea and her colleagues from PUSAKA have faced harassment and intimidation. 

The UK is linked with the harm taking place
There are UK links to emblematic cases in Indonesia too: Between 1996 and 2018, British-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto was involved with the notorious Grasberg Mine, accused of environmental devastation and severe human rights violations. Those protesting the mine’s operations since the 1970s have faced repression including torture, displacement and threats. 

These are not isolated incidents. At PBI, we provide protective accompaniment to grassroots defenders facing violent reprisals for calling out business abuses. We keep them safe, so their communities’ demands and solutions can be heard. We recently published The Case For Change, describing six cases from three continents in which activists were attacked for standing up to extractive industries with links to UK businesses. The Business and Human Rights Resource Centre documented 209 attacks on defenders linked to UK companies, between 2015 and 2023. Without legal protections, those who stand up for their communities will continue to pay with their lives. 

There’s a business case for due diligence
The evidence is clear: voluntary regulation schemes have failed. When the prioritisation of profit clashes with grassroots realities, existing frameworks consistently fall short. Despite Fresnillo’s failure to comply with Mexican court orders, UK authorities continue to dismiss these kinds of cases as ‘domestic matters’ for foreign jurisdictions. 

This approach creates an accountability gap that communities cannot bridge alone. While corporations operate globally, justice remains frustratingly local and is often unattainable. 

Businesses increasingly recognise that ethical operations are not just morally right, they’re essential for sustainable success. Over 150 companies and investors have backed the call for a mandatory due diligence law, with liability provisions for companies failing to prevent harm. 

Forward thinking businesses understand this would create a level playing field, preventing unscrupulous competitors gaining unfair advantage through exploitation. It would provide legal certainty, reduce reputational risks and align with growing consumer and investor demands for ethical practices. 

Britain should have its own tailored legislation
The EU has approved a directive on mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence in supply chains, reflecting growing international consensus on corporate accountability. Many UK companies will fall under its reach. Rather than lagging behind, Britain could lead, with due diligence legislation of its own tailored to protect the environment, facilitate business and support its own workers: the law would apply domestically as well as along global supply chains. 

Public opinion strongly supports it. A YouGov poll revealed that four in five Britons would back a due diligence law. The mandate for change is clear.

The government has committed to address this and has opened channels for civil society engagement. It has pledged to assess how best to prevent environmental harms and human rights abuses in supply chains, and reiterated this when announcing the UK’s candidacy for the UN Human Rights Council. A National Baseline Assessment of the UK’s implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights is forthcoming. 

But promises must translate into action. To tackle the root causes of risk facing human rights defenders like Jesús and Dorthea effectively, the UK must open a consultation with stakeholders now (including civil society) on how to implement Labour’s National Policy Forum pledge to examine the best way to prevent environmental harms and human rights abuses in supply chains. It should swiftly establish a stakeholder panel on human rights (that includes a focus on corporate accountability), fulfilling the foreign secretary’s commitment from December 2024. And, finally, it should guarantee UK support for human rights defenders at risk, liaising with civil society organisations to implement guidance for UK embassies and safeguarding funds and mechanisms for protection. 

The testimonies of Dorthea and Jesús provided first hand evidence of what’s at stake. Their courage in coming to London, despite the threats they face, underscores the urgency of this issue. 

By instituting mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence, the UK can ensure its corporations operate with integrity, respect human rights and preserve the environment for future generations. It’s a law that can help create a world where human rights defenders won’t fear reprisal. Maybe even one where they won’t need to stand up to UK business abuses in the first place. 

The UK stands at a critical juncture. It can either be part of a global movement towards ethical business, or it can continue enabling corporate impunity. 

Image credit: Credit Centro de Investigacion y Educacion Popular Programa Por la Paz (CINEP)
Description: Wayúu community member in La Guajira where the Cerrejón mining operation is located.