The
Human Rights (HR) Impact Topic guides companies to improve outcomes for people suffering or at risk of harm from human rights violations in connection with their operations, products, or services. It requires companies to publicly commit to respecting human rights, to identify and address their salient human rights issues, and to practice human rights due diligence by preventing, mitigating and remediating their actual and potential negative human rights impacts. It also requires companies to collaborate with their suppliers to achieve their human rights objectives.
Why this Matters
Human Rights are the basic protections that all human beings are entitled to, such as the right to education, health, and freedom of expression. By establishing standards on human rights, B Lab offers clear guidance on how companies can respect human rights. It’s about creating a company culture where there is a constant awareness of and responsibility for the impact of business decisions on people. Practicing human rights due diligence should become second nature for companies — the same way food safety or financial due diligence are common practices.
1. Commitments
Companies publicly commit to respecting human rights, based on major international frameworks, including the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. This is the first step for companies to improve their human rights impacts.
HR1 The company commits publicly to respecting human rights. |
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HR1.1 The company commits publicly to respecting human rights. | Micro and Small companies
| All sectors | Year 0 Year 3 Year 5 |
Medium companies | Service with Minor Footprint |
HR1.2 The company has a public human rights policy. | Large, Extra Large, Extra Extra Large companies | All sectors | Year 0 Year 3 Year 5 |
Medium | All sectors except Service with Minor Footprint |
2. Salient Issues
Companies identify the most salient or important human rights issues across their operations and value chain, and implement a strategy to address them. This enables them to focus their resources effectively and proactively manage potential negative human rights impacts.
HR2 The company knows its salient human rights issues and has a strategy to address them. |
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HR2.1 The company identifies its salient human rights issues. | Medium companies | All sectors except Service with Minor Footprint | Year 0 Year 3 Year 5 |
Large, Extra Large, Extra Extra Large companies | All sectors |
HR2.2 The company publicly shares its salient human rights issues. | Large, Extra Large, Extra Extra Large companies | All sectors | Year 3 Year 5 |
Medium companies | All sectors except Service with Minor Footprint |
HR2.3 The company has a strategy to address its salient human rights issues. | Medium, Large, Extra Large, Extra Extra Large companies | All sectors except Service with Minor Footprint | Year 3 Year 5 |
HR2.4 The company makes progress on its human rights strategy and evaluates its effectiveness. | Medium, Large, Extra Large, Extra Extra Large companies | All sectors except Service with Minor Footprint | Year 5 |
HR2.5 The company publicly shares the effectiveness of its human rights strategy. | Extra Extra Large companies | All sectors except Service with Minor Footprint | Year 5 |
HR2.6 The company’s policies and procedures address its salient human rights issues. | Medium, Large, Extra Large, Extra Extra Large companies | All sectors except Service with Minor Footprint | Year 3 Year 5 |
HR2.7 Workers in relevant roles receive the guidance they need to implement the policies and procedures related to human rights. | Medium, Large, Extra Large, Extra Extra Large companies | All sectors except Service with Minor Footprint | Year 3 Year 5 |
3. Addressing Negative Impacts
Companies take steps to prevent, mitigate, and remediate their actual and potential specific negative human rights impacts.
HR3 The company prevents, mitigates, and remediates actual and potential negative human rights impacts. |
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HR3.1 The company has a process to collect, prioritize, and escalate information on actual and potential negative human rights impacts. | Large, Extra Large, Extra Extra Large companies | All sectors | Year 0 Year 3 Year 5 |
Medium companies | All sectors except Service with Minor Footprint |
HR3.2 The company prevents, mitigates, and remediates actual and potential negative human rights impacts. | Medium companies | All sectors except Service with Minor Footprint | Year 3 Year 5 |
Large companies | Service with Minor Footprint |
HR3.3 The company prevents, mitigates, and remediates actual and potential negative human rights impacts. | Extra Large, Extra Extra Large companies | All sectors | Year 3 Year 5 |
Large companies
| All sectors except Service with Minor Footprint |
HR3.4 The company assesses the potential negative human rights impacts related to potential organizational clients and projects, and takes necessary mitigation actions. | Companies without Workers, Micro, Small, Medium, Large, Extra Large, Extra Extra Large companies | Service with Minor Footprint* | Year 0 Year 3 Year 5 |
HR3.5 The company assesses the potential negative human rights impacts of investments, and takes necessary mitigation actions. | Companies without workers, Micro, Small, Medium, Large, Extra Large, Extra Extra Large companies | Service with Minor Footprint** | Year 0 Year 3 Year 5 |
HR3.6 The company carries out a Human Rights Impact Assessment. | Extra Large and Extra Extra Large companies | All sectors | Year 5 |
HR3.7 The company implements additional due diligence for any operations in conflict-affected situations. | Small, Medium, Large, Extra Large, Extra Extra Large companies | All sectors | Year 3 Year 5 |
*Only for the following industries: Security & investigation; All industries in category: Information, communication & technology; Advertising & market research; Legal activities - Management consultant - for-profits; Book publishing; Publishing - newspapers & magazines; All industries in category: real estate, design & building - Film, TV & music production - Programming & broadcasting; Engineering; Environmental consulting.
**Only for the following industries: Equity investing; Investment advising.
4. Supply Chain
Companies take human rights into account in their procurement decisions, particularly with regard to their source countries and raw materials. They also work with suppliers to address their negative impacts, including living wage gaps in their supply chain. These actions ensure that companies take accountability for the human rights impacts of their supply chain.
HR4 - The company works with suppliers to achieve its human rights objectives. |
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HR4.1 The company addresses limits on its ability to engage and monitor suppliers. | Medium, Large, Extra Large, Extra Extra Large companies | Manufacturing and Wholesale/Retail | Year 3 Year 5 |
HR4.2 The company considers actual and potential human rights impacts in its procurement decisions. | Without workers, Micro, Small companies | All sectors | Year 0 Year 3 Year 5 |
Medium companies | Service with Significant Footprint and Service with Minor Footprint |
HR4.3 The company considers actual and potential human rights impacts in its procurement decisions. | Medium companies | Manufacturing, Agriculture/Growers and Wholesale/Retail | Year 0 Year 3 Year 5 |
Large, Extra Large and Extra Extra Large companies | Service with Minor Footprint |
HR4.4 The company works with suppliers to prevent or mitigate the most salient human rights issues. | Large, Extra Large and Extra Extra Large companies | All sectors except Service with Minor Footprint | Year 0 Year 3 Year 5 |
HR4.5 The company increases its commitments across its sourcing documents. | Large, Extra Large and Extra Extra Large companies | Manufacturing, Agriculture/Growers, Wholesale/Retail | Year 5 |
HR4.6 The company has a time-bound plan to trace the origin and potential human rights impacts of its high-risk raw materials. | Extra Large and Extra Extra Large companies | Manufacturing, Agriculture/Growers, Wholesale/Retail | Year 3 Year 5 |
HR4.7 The company traces more high-risk raw materials to their origin. | Extra Large and Extra Extra Large companies | Manufacturing, Agriculture/Growers, Wholesale/Retail | Year 5 |
HR4.8 The company works with suppliers to address human rights impacts related to high-risk raw materials. | Extra Large and Extra Extra Large companies | Manufacturing, Agriculture/Growers, Wholesale/Retail | Year 5 |
HR4.9 The company looks for living wage gaps in its service contracts. | Medium, Large, Extra Large, Extra Extra Large companies | Service with Minor Footprint | Year 0 Year 3 Year 5 |
HR4.10 The company refers to living wage in its service procurement processes. | Medium, Large, Extra Large, and Extra Extra Large companies | Service with Minor Footprint | Year 3 Year 5 |
HR4.11 The company has a plan to address living wage, living income or collective bargaining in its supply chain. | Medium, Large, Extra Large, and Extra Extra Large companies | All sectors except Service with Minor Footprint | Year 3 Year 5 |
Further Resources
Topic | Resource |
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Business and human rights | |
Implementation resources | Doing Business with Respect for Human Rights (UN Global Compact, Shift and Oxfam) [EN] [ES] [IN] UNGP Reporting Framework (Shift) [EN] Guide on How to Develop a Human Rights Policy (UN Global Compact) [EN] [ES]
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Micro and Small companies | |
Human rights risks | Corporate Human Rights Benchmark (World Benchmarking Alliance) [EN] Business & Human Rights Resource Centre [AR] [DE] [EN] [ES] [FR] [JP] [KR] [PT] [RU] [Simplified ZH] [Traditional ZH] including Know the Chain Benchmark [EN] Responsible Sourcing Tool (Verité and the U.S. Department of State’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons) [EN] Global Rights Index (International Trade Union Confederation) [DE] [EN] [ES] [FR] Risk Map (Fairtrade International) [EN]
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Release 1 - 11 July, 2025 - based on B Lab Standard v1.0 - © B Lab 2025