The Omnibus 1 agreement has finally been signed off – but what happens next?

In this last episode before the Christmas break, Frank Bold’s Senior Policy Officer Julia Otten and Andreas Rasche, Assistant Dean and Professor of Business in Society at Copenhagen Business School, return to the Frankly Speaking podcast, hosted by Richard Howitt, to give their final verdict on what the Omnibus 1 means for the effectiveness of sustainability legislation in the EU.

Together they discussed to what extent the final Omnibus package provides certainty to businesses and broke down the key changes to the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD). You’ll also hear more about:

• How the Omnibus 1 changes may impact businesses in the future – including the risk of facing heavier burdens due to less available information

• The significance of the Ombuswoman’s finding of malpractice by the European Commission during this Omnibus 1 process, especially for future simplification packages

• The role of the far-right in pushing through the final Omnibus 1 text, and why companies have an obligation to speak out

• Whether historians writing on this period may still regard this era of simplification as a step forward, not a step back

• Julia and Andreas’s advice to companies on what they should do now the final Omnibus 1 package has been concluded

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Against the backdrop of the final Omnibus agreement emerging from trilogues, what will continued US political and corporate pressure mean for the future of EU environmental and human rights due diligence legislation?

In this episode of the Frankly Speaking podcast, Richard Howitt was joined by Abrial Gilbert-d'Halluin, Policy Advisor for MEP Raden Kanev and original parliamentary sherpa for the Corporate Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), and Professor Michael Mehling, Deputy Director of the Centre for Energy and Environmental Policy Research at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Together they discussed the principle of extraterritoriality in the EU’s CSDDD legislation, and why it’s seen such unprecedented pushback from both politicians and businesses in the United States lobbying against the directive. You’ll also hear more about:

• Why the CSDDD’s extra-territorial reach is so important in limiting environmental and human rights abuses across global value chains

• The US perspective on EU sustainability and due diligence rules, and why both sides of the American political spectrum take issue with external corporate regulation (including the Clinton administration back in the 1990s)

• How the US is responding to the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), including the showdown between the ‘Brussels vs Trump effect’

• The crucial role of sovereignty in discussions on external regulation

• The vague wording of the EU-US trade deal on the CSDDD, and what it means for the effectiveness of the directive’s extraterritoriality principle

• How US corporates are doing on environmental and human rights due diligence

• What makes Michael and Abrial optimistic for the future of corporate accountability globally

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How can companies carry out effective human rights due diligence?

In this episode of the Frankly Speaking podcast, Richard Howitt was joined by Niklas Wehner, Director of Corporate Responsibility International for ALDI South Group, which has over 7,500 stores across eleven countries and employs over 200,000 people.

Together they discussed ALDI South Group’s approach to human rights due diligence, and how it has been complying with the German Supply Chain Act. You’ll also hear more about:

• How ALDI South Group has adopted the role as the trusted mediator between local producers and suppliers in disputes, and examples of it how it has achieved remediation for workers in its global supply chain

• Why the company sees great potential in the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive to harmonise standards and prevent the fragmentation of national laws within the EU

• ALDI South Group’s perspective on the Omnibus 1 proposals currently being debated in trilogues

• Niklas’s verdict on what the Omnibus will mean for the future of corporate human rights due diligence globally

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