Human rights due diligence

Respecting human rights is a fundamental responsibility of every business. Companies are increasingly expected to identify, prevent, mitigate, and account for adverse human rights impacts arising from their own operations and value chains. Human rights due diligence is a continuous, risk-based process that helps businesses understand where the most severe impacts on people occur, take appropriate action, and demonstrate progress to stakeholders.

Our approach

At 2impact, we support companies throughout the human rights due diligence process. Our approach is grounded in the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) and the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises on Responsible Business Conduct. Following the internationally recognized six-step due diligence process, we help companies meet evolving stakeholder and regulatory expectations while tailoring our support to their sector, context, and level of maturity.

Whether you are just starting your human rights journey or looking to strengthen an existing approach, we provide practical, tailored support that helps embed human rights due diligence into day-to-day business practices. 

Our support can include: 

• Human rights due diligence gap assessments: Assess existing policies, processes, governance structures, and management systems against the UNGPs, OECD Guidelines, and relevant legislation. We identify strengths, gaps, and practical priorities for improvement.
• Human rights risk assessments: Identify and prioritise actual and potential human rights impacts across operations and value chains through supply chain mapping, sector and country analysis, stakeholder engagement where appropriate, and saliency assessments.
• Human rights policies and governance: Develop or strengthen human rights policies and governance frameworks that align with international standards. We help translate commitments into clear expectations for employees, suppliers, and business partners, creating a strong foundation for effective human rights due diligence. 
• Capacity building: Build internal knowledge and capability through tailored training, workshops, and awareness sessions for procurement teams, sustainability professionals, and suppliers.
• Human rights due diligence implementation: Support the implementation of human rights due diligence through practical action plans and integration into existing business processes. We help translate identified risks and commitments into concrete actions across procurement, supplier engagement, risk management, monitoring, and decision-making.

Why work with us?

• Deep expertise in human rights due diligence: Our team combines in-depth knowledge of the UN Guiding Principles, OECD Due Diligence Guidance, and evolving legislation, including the EU Forced Labour Regulation. We continuously monitor regulatory developments and emerging best practices, allowing us to provide advice that goes beyond compliance and reflects the latest thinking in the field.
• From strategy to implementation: We help companies translate human rights commitments into practical action. Whether conducting gap assessments, identifying and prioritising salient human rights risks, developing action plans, or delivering training, we provide pragmatic support that helps organizations embed human rights due diligence into their day-to-day operations.
• Cross-sector experience: We have supported organizations across a range of sectors, including construction, food and agriculture, and energy, in identifying, prioritising, and addressing human rights risks within their operations and value chains.
• Collaborative and tailored approach: We work closely with your team to ensure our recommendations are practical, proportionate, and aligned with your business. By building internal capability and integrating due diligence into existing procurement, sustainability, and risk management processes, we help organizations establish human rights due diligence processes that remain effective as expectations and regulations continue to evolve. 

Related case studies and blogs  

case studies

• Human Rights Due Diligence Gap Analysis and Training for Dura Vermeer
• Human rights and environmental due diligence for Appèl

Blogs

• Forced Labour Regulation: how can companies prepare?
• How to apply due diligence to ensure responsible AI use
• Why and how companies should protect migrant workers in the Netherlands
• Bridging the gap between words and action in human rights reporting
• How the EU Forced Labour Regulation could become the new driver of HRDD
• The importance of Root Cause Analysis in Human Rights Risk Assessments
• How your company can meet the Dutch government's ISV requirements
• What does good human rights due diligence look like?