Japan must embrace chance to make companies more responsible

European law offers a road map to a world where workers are valued and protected

Ben Fouracre and Nick Grono

April 11, 2022 05:00 JST

An 11-year-old boy carries a bag of cobalt on his back in southern Congo in July 2018: The risks of forced labor increase as you move deeper into the supply chain. © Corbis/Getty Images

Ben Fouracre is Japan managing director and APAC lead for J.S. Held, Tokyo. Nick Grono is CEO of the Freedom Fund based in London.

The European Commission introduced draft legislation in February requiring all 27 European Union countries to implement harmonized laws aimed at mitigating human rights and environmental abuses in corporate supply chains.