Position paper developed by COCERAL, FEDIOL and FEFAC on “Mandatory Due Diligence as a part of the Smart Mix of EU Measures to tackle Deforestation and Human Rights Issues”.

We consider that setting up a mandatory horizontal due diligence obligation for all commercial actors in the supply chain should be seen as a means to mainstream supply chain transformation. In our paper, we acknowledge that such process should be risk-based and should, as in the OECD/FAO guidelines and UN Guiding Principles, require companies to set up a process and to do their utmost for avoiding or mitigating adverse impacts caused by their activities.

However, due diligence should not be implemented in isolation from other mechanisms or tools, but rather as part of a smart mix of instruments that will be needed to achieve an effective sustainable transformation of supply chains.