NEWS

Under OECD guideline, enterprises are expected to carry out risk based due diligence, for example by incorporating it into their enterprise risk management systems, to identify, prevent or mitigate actual and potential adverse impacts and risk, including those on safety, health and environment, along the supply chain as well as the enterprise’s own entire manufacturing operation.  The new OECD Due Diligent Guidance spells out enterprises’ responsibilities in 12 sector risk areas for risk identification, assessment, prevention and mitigation.  These sector risks are: child labor; sexual harassment and sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) in the workplace; forced labor; working time; occupational health and safety; trade unions and collective bargaining; wages; hazardous chemicals; water; greenhouse gas emissions; bribery and corruption; responsible sourcing from homeworkers.  Of these, occupational health and safety, hazardous chemicals, and greenhouse gas emission have the utmost relevance to footwear adhesives.  The new OECD guidance calls for stop using or substitution hazardous chemicals, and adaptation of Best Available Techniques (BAT) to prevent or mitigate the associated sector risks, which favors the uses of water based footwear adhesives over their solvent counterparts.