Human Rights | FRANK PARTNERS

Human Rights and Supply Chain Services

Strategy and Advisory

Our approach focuses on collaboration, mapping, and prioritisation to develop human rights strategies and programmes that not only improve worker conditions in clients' supply chains but also deliver business value. We work closely with senior executives to integrate human rights into core business strategies, manage risks, seize opportunities, and embed sustainability across business functions.

Human Rights DD & Investigations

We help clients design human rights programmes that enable continuous human rights due diligence by identifying and assessing risks across geographies, sectors, and multi-tier supply chains. Our approach ensures businesses can mitigate risks at every stage, from raw material suppliers to logistics and retail partners. Each assessment is tailored to the client’s needs and adapted to the complexities of their supply chains. We have a global network of sector and region-specific partners that help us bringing local context knowledge and additional language capabilities.

Regulatory Alignment

Ensuring compliance with human rights due diligence laws and international standards is crucial for companies to manage risks and maintain their reputations. Adopting a pragmatic approach that leverages synergies while addressing the unique aspects of each regulation is essential for effective compliance. Our regulatory alignment services assist organisations in identifying gaps in their existing practices, aligning with relevant legal requirements, and streamlining compliance processes. This approach helps reduce resource strain while ensuring that companies meet both regulatory obligations and stakeholder expectations.

Strategy and Advisory

Policy Development and Implementation

Strategic support for integrating human rights considerations into business decision-making processes and practices, ensuring alignment with international best practices and legislation. We review and update internal human rights processes and practices, identifying areas for improvement, and recommending actionable steps to enhance human rights due diligence efforts. We also assist investors in embedding human rights into ESG due diligence policies and processes.

Grievance Mechanism Review

We develop and review grievance mechanisms in line with the UNGPs and legislative frameworks like the German Supply Chain Act (LkSG). We identify gaps, barriers to access, and areas for improvement in complaint procedures, providing clients with concrete steps to meet legislative requirements and align with best practices. We also provide remediation support through tailored, reasonable, and measurable action plans focused on effectively addressing issues while making commercial sense for the business.

Training and Capacity Building

Our tailored human rights training programmes are designed for corporates and financial institutions, promoting alignment with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) and other relevant due diligence legislations. Our practical, audience-focused content includes detailed guidance on implementing human rights principles (i.e. policy commitments, human rights due diligence, and remediation mechanisms), complemented by relevant case studies that address sector-specific and geographical needs. We also provide training for suppliers empowering them with essential knowledge to understand human rights issues and improve their risk management systems.

Benchmarking

Stay ahead in human rights performance through benchmarking services that compare their efforts with industry peers. We highlight emerging trends and best practices, and help clients continuously improve their approach to managing human rights risks within their value chains.

Human Rights Due Diligence and Investigations

Risk and Impact Assessments

We conduct saliency risk assessments of companies’ operations and value chains as well as investors’ portfolios. We also carry out in-depth human rights impact assessments targeted at a specific product, country, or site, combining research and on-the-ground data collection We develop actionable, proportionate, and feasible plans for prevention, mitigation, and remedy, rooted in local laws and the UNGPs. This ensures that our clients can effectively manage and mitigate human rights risks within their operations and supply chains.

Investigations and Remediation

Expert support in investigating allegations of human rights abuses and developing remediation plans grounded in the UNGPs and international best practices. fp has long-standing expertise in integrity investigations and broader ESG and human rights advisory to assist clients with targeted investigations to improve their human rights impact.

Responsible Sourcing

We develop responsible procurement strategies and integrate human rights criteria into business processes such as tenders. Our work includes building supplier due diligence systems, using tools like self-assessment questionnaires and beyond-audit solutions, helping clients comply with regulations like the LkSG and CSDDD. We also provide strategic support for corrective action plan development and implementation.

Due Diligence of Investments

Screening for high-risk assets and identifying salient human rights risks in the operations and supply chain of investment targets. We conduct gap assessments of the target’s human rights practices and develop timebound action plans to establish robust human rights due diligence processes and support investors in qualifying their investments as sustainable.

Regulatory Alignment

Due Diligence Legislation Support

Conduct gap analysis and readiness assessments to prepare for compliance with relevant legislation, including the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), the German Supply Chain Act (LkSG), the Norwegian Transparency Act, and various Modern Slavery Acts. Our expertise helps clients understand these legal requirements, assess their current policies and practices, and identify areas for improvementdevelop a roadmap to ensure compliance.

Minimum Social Safeguards Compliance for Taxonomy

Ensure that investments or activities meet the Minimum Social Safeguards requirements as part of the EU Taxonomy Regulation. We assist clients in evaluating whether activities meet minimum governance standards across four core pillars (human rights, bribery/corruption, taxation and fair competition) and do not violate social norms, including human and labour rights.