[Rountable] Beyond the omnibus: moving sustainability due diligence from paper to practice

While many eagerly wait for the Omnibus to arrive at its final destination, this event begins from the premise that sustainability due diligence (SDD) is already a reality in motion. With the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) now in force and the EU Forced Labour Regulation on the horizon, many companies must begin implementing due diligence processes well before the CSDDD formally takes effect. In other words, the SDD train has already left the station, and there is no time to lose in exploring the ways in which sustainability due diligence will be implemented by companies, supervised and enforced by public authorities, and leveraged by civil society organisations. 

To do so, the DigiChain project at the University of Amsterdam, in collaboration with the team of &Wider, are setting up this event, foregrounding the experience of various actors involved in the making of sustainability due diligence processes. In a series of roundtable discussions, we will give the floor to those who are on a daily basis thinking and acting to turn the idea(l) of sustainability due diligence into a tangible reality, achieving meaningful positive impact for affected stakeholders and the environment. The aim is to take the pulse of the ongoing work to shape sustainability due diligence processes from the inside, chart the challenges identified by various actors and measure the expectations of different stakeholders. What will be the role of digital technologies in these sustainability due diligence processes? Will VSS and auditing remain at the heart of SDD? What are the challenges that companies face when developing SDD processes? How will public authorities supervise SDD processes? What are the expectations of civil society organisations with regard to their role in the context of SDD processes?

Programme:

14.00-14.15    Welcome and introduction - Lea Esterhuizen (&Wider) and Klaas Eller (UvA)

14.15-14.30    Updates on the Omnibus process and the CSDDD - Greta Koch (European Parliament) 

14.30-15.30    Panel 1: How are companies in the Netherlands and beyond preparing to comply with EU due diligence legislation? 

• Speakers:  
  • Mieneke Koster (Global Sustainability Director, Arcadis)
  • Akin Aslan (Lawyer, CMS Amsterdam)
  • Michaela Streibelt (Business & Human Rights Lawyer & Responsible Contracting Project)
  • Lea Esterhuizen (Founder & CEO, &wider) 
  • Chaired by Bora Yucel (&wider) 

15.30-15.45    Coffee Break 

15.45-16.45    Panel 2: How are regulators, the public sector and civil society organizations preparing for the implementation of EU due diligence legislation?

• Speakers:  
  • Noortje Crabbendam (SER) 
  • Virginia Sandjojo (Coordinator, MVO Platform) 
  • Jill van de Walle (World Benchmarking Alliance)
  • Gilles Goedhart (Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs) 
  • Eva Smulders (RBC Helpdesk) 
  • Chaired by Antoine Duval (Asser Institute)

16.45-17.00    Closing keynote - Anna Cavazzini, Member of the European Parliament Greens/EFA

from 17.00      Reception