Corporate sustainability requirements from regulation

Regulation defines the framework, themes, requirements and expectations of corporate sustainability. Corporate sustainability is both compliance with the national laws of the country in which the company operates and also taking into account international sustainability guidelines. Expectations are influenced by, among other things, the size of the company - large companies are expected to take more actions than small ones. 

We help business enterprises understand the sustainability regulation that is relevant to them and how to achieve business benefits based on it.

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Clarifying the regulatory field

Corporate sustainability is regulated by different regulation - national legislation and international sustainability guidelines. We help our clients understand how this broad regulatory field applies to them and what they should pay particular attention to in order to realise sustainability benefits.

The following themes are considered in the content:

  • The importance of national legislation: Legally binding obligations for a company come from the national legislation of the country in which the company operates, which contains many elements relevant to sustainability themes. It is important to identify the requirements of national legislation (e.g. labour law and anti-discrimination legislation, tax law, environmental legislation) related to different areas of corporate sustainability (economic, social and environmental responsibility).
  • The importance of international regulation: It is also important to recognise how international law and (in the EU countries) EU regulation relevant to sustainability can be found in the background of national legislation.
  • International sustainability guidelines: Genuine responsibility is more than just compliance with national laws. In its operations, a responsible company takes into account both national laws and global sustainability guidelines approved under international law, which define sustainability expectations that go beyond national laws. The key guidelines in question are the UN Global Compact, the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as well as the OECD guidelines.
  • Different requirements and expectations for different companies: The size and ownership of the company affect corporate responsibility. Larger companies have more extensive requirements than small ones, and public sector ownership in the company brings additional expectations.

In-depth training on corporate human rights responsibility regulation

Human rights responsibility forms the basis of a company's social responsibility. The content and requirements of human rights responsibility are determined on the basis of national legislation and the UN sustainability guidelines.

The following themes are taken into account in the content:

  • Human rights are norms adopted by states under international law, which are binding on states and determine the obligations of states to protect the human rights of all people. Human rights norms have been specified in international human rights instruments adopted by states, including treaties.
  • States have incorporated international human rights norms into their national laws, when they have become national law norms legally binding on companies. By complying with the laws in question, a company already partially implements its human rights responsibility.
  • A company that is genuinely responsible for human rights complies with both national laws and takes into account international human rights that are relevant to its business operations. The principles of equality and non-discrimination cut across human rights responsibility.
  • The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) are a basic tool for implementing human rights responsibility. The starting point for companies is to ensure that their business operations do not undermine internationally recognized human rights ("do no harm").
  • The client will be informed of the relevant human rights responsibility regulations and the benefits of human rights responsibility.