The German government’s 2016 National Action Plan for Business and Human Rights (NAP) defines German companies’ specific responsibility for upholding human rights. The NAP states which measures the German government is taking to support companies in designing and carrying out their due diligence on human rights. The present study, available in German, is one such measure.
The study examines which human rights risks exist along the supply and value chains of different sectors of the German economy. It then limits its scope to eleven focus industries based on specific criteria. Using desk research and stakeholder interviews, the report then identifies and analyses which human rights due diligence activities these industries are already implementing.
The study aims to inform the German government’s decision on which industries the government will prioritize for support in the form of sectoral dialogues. The report also highlights potential starting points for these dialogues. The Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, in coordination with the Interministerial Committee on Business and Human Rights, will ultimately determine which industries they will approach to initiate sectoral dialogues within the scope of the NAP.
