How Australian fashion brands implement human rights due diligence

Abstract

ABSTRACT The United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights suggests a human rights due diligence (HRDD) framework that businesses should follow to avoid causing or contributing to adverse human rights impacts such as those common within fashion supply chains. The Modern Slavery Act 2018 (Cth) requires entities earning over $100 million annually to report on their implementation of steps two to four and six of the framework. These steps are: assessing actual and potential human rights impacts; preventing and mitigating adverse human rights impacts; verifying whether adverse human rights impacts are being addressed; and remediating adverse human rights impacts. However, businesses earning below $100 million annually rarely receive government or academic attention on their HRDD implementation. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with Australian fashion brands earning below $100 million annually to determine their understanding and implementation of steps two to four of the HRDD framework. Whilst all brands implemented HRDD initiatives, they predominantly implemented process based initiatives which did not place rights holders, such as supply chain workers, at their centre. This study will assist fashion brands, the government, and industry organisations in improving their understanding of HRDD and identifying mechanisms to better support HRDD implementation within the Australian fashion industry.