As it relates to third parties, especially supply chains, businesses need to be monitoring compliance according to US Dodd-Frank Section 1502, EU Conflict Minerals Regulation, and Modern Slavery Acts – required in the UK and Australia, amongst others.
Voluntary disclosure frameworks, such as the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB, now the Value Reporting Foundation) also incorporate compliance – even for areas such as fees paid for non-compliance against water/wastewater quality standards. The consensus is that these disclosures will only become more unified, and likely mandated.
The best thing a business can do to meet existing rules – as well as prepare for what may be coming – is to develop an ESG program that is centralized, auditable, and accurate. It also must provide visibility into third-party performance across the ESG spectrum.