This benchmark series assesses the world’s most influential companies on their human rights, decent work and ethical conduct practices. It provides a comparative view of corporate social performance, supporting stakeholders to understand progress, identify gaps and inform actions that contribute to a more inclusive and sustainable global economy.

This report investigates labour conditions on cotton farms in Madhya Pradesh, identifying child labour, forced labour indicators, and wage issues. It traces links to supplier and buyer supply chains and urges strengthened due diligence, remediation, and improved traceability to reduce risks and support more ethical cotton sourcing.

The report analyses how critical minerals sourced in the Uyghur Region—titanium, lithium, beryllium and magnesium—are linked to state-imposed forced labour. It identifies companies involved, downstream exposure risks, and implications for global supply chains, underscoring the need for stronger due diligence and avoidance of forced-labour-tainted inputs.

This report outlines a blueprint for responsible banking, detailing how banks can embed climate, nature, human rights, and inclusive economy considerations into strategy, governance, client engagement, capital allocation and disclosure. It provides guidance on setting and implementing targets to align portfolios and practices with global sustainability frameworks.

Equileap is a global leader in workplace equality research offering a comprehensive database of over 6,000 companies’ gender, race/ethnicity and LGBTQ+ diversity metrics. It supports asset managers and pension funds in integrating equality into investment decisions and building sustainable portfolios aligned with social-impact and ESG criteria.

This article explores the growing interest in deep-sea mining as a source of critical minerals for clean technologies, detailing how it works, its potential economic benefits, and the significant ecological and governance risks it poses. It also examines ongoing international regulatory disputes and alternative solutions such as recycling and circular mineral economies.

This report examines the use of forced labour involving Uyghur and other Turkic Muslim peoples in green technology supply chains, particularly solar and electric vehicle sectors. It outlines investor and policy gaps, highlighting opaque supply chains, limited regulatory action, and recommends divestment, due diligence, and global collaboration to address human rights risks.

This World Benchmarking Alliance report guides investors on using the Corporate Human Rights Benchmark to assess company performance in high-risk sectors. It outlines key findings, investor engagement questions, and sector-specific risks to promote accountability, human rights due diligence, and responsible investment aligned with sustainable development goals.

The 2022 Global Estimates of Modern Slavery: Forced Labour and Forced Marriage report by the ILO, Walk Free, and IOM estimates that 49.6 million people are in modern slavery of which 27.6 million in forced labour and 22 million in forced marriage. The report highlights worsening trends linked to crises such as COVID-19, conflict, and climate change, and urges coordinated global action toward SDG Target 8.7.

MDPI (Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute) is a Swiss-based publisher of open access, peer-reviewed journals, established in 1996. MDPI publishes over 470 academic journals across science, technology and medicine, with authors covering article processing charges to enable unrestricted global access.

Rockefeller Capital Management (RockCo) delivers wealth management, asset management and investment banking services grounded in the Rockefeller legacy. Serving individuals, families and institutions, RockCo emphasises bespoke financial solutions, generational wealth planning and strategic advisory — combining innovation with long-standing trust.

Morgan Stanley Wealth Management provides financial advice, investment strategies, and portfolio management for individuals, families, and institutions. Its services include retirement planning, sustainable investing, and access to global market insights. Morgan Stanley combines advanced digital tools with expert guidance to help clients achieve long-term financial goals and preserve wealth across generations.

The report by Japan’s Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF) evaluates how engagement by external asset managers has affected investee companies from 2017–2022. Using causal inference analysis across over 26,000 engagements, it finds positive links between engagement and improvements in corporate value, governance, decarbonisation, and diversity.

Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF) is an independent administrative institution in Japan. It manages and invests pension reserve funds under Japan’s Employees’ Pension Insurance and National Pension Acts. GPIF seeks long-term, diversified returns while emphasising ESG investment and stewardship in public pension finance.

This study analyses whether investor engagement on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues reduces firms’ downside risk. Using data from 1,443 engagements with 485 global firms (2005–2018), it finds that successful engagements, particularly on environmental and climate issues, significantly lower downside risk and related environmental incidents.

This report summarises how Australia’s Sustainable Finance Taxonomy could be expanded to agriculture, forestry and land management, proposing draft criteria for biodiversity protection, sustainable water use, and pollution control. It aligns with global biodiversity goals to guide investment and lending that support nature-positive outcome.