The Corporate Human Rights Benchmark (CHRB), launched in 2013, is a not-for-profit company and the first open and public benchmark of corporate human rights performance. It assesses 101 of the largest publicly traded companies in the world on a set of human rights indicators, such as their human rights policies, processes and performance.
Today saw the launch of the second and, for the first time full, CHRB. There is a small cluster of sustainability leaders whose companies are at the top of their game in terms of human rights protection, while the average company score remains at an alarming 27% and, both surprising and disappointing, none of the companies measured commit to ensuring that workers are paid a living wage. The vast majority of companies have made no real efforts since last year's CHRB to put human rights at the heart of their business. This is what Margaret Wachenfeld, CHRB Independent Director and co-lead of the CHRB Methodology Committee said:
“While we see clear progress from some companies, the majority are failing to make the grade. Seventy years after the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, this is very concerning. If businesses will not clearly demonstrate their respect for human rights, then governments should step in with tougher laws to protect people.”
You can access both the 2018 Methodology for the CHRB, as well as have a read of the 2018 Key Findings Report.
