03.09.2025
Profit is not more important than human rights!
Today, the German Federal Cabinet approved a draft amendment to the Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (LkSG). The Federal Government is thus initiating a legislative change that would undermine urgently needed safeguards for children's rights and environmental protection in the supply chains of German companies.
Two points in particular are unacceptable:
- The draft weakens sanctions for breaches of due diligence obligations, meaning that, for example, incomplete risk analyses will be more easily tolerated in the future. In effect, this is an invitation to negligence.
- Reporting obligations are being abolished: The traceability of effective measures for both the public and the BAFA (Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Export Control) is being undermined.
Furthermore, companies that prepared early and responsibly for compliance with the LkSG (Landesbetrieb für die Landesbetrieb für die Landesbetrieb für die Landesbetriebe und Landesbetriebe – State for the State of Lower Saxony) are now being "punished" with a further change in the framework conditions.
opinion
"We urge the Bundestag not to approve these legislative changes, as they represent a massive violation of children's rights."
"Today, after far too short a consultation period, the Federal Cabinet decided to weaken the Supply Chain Act. This would eliminate both reporting obligations for companies and sanctions for violations of children's rights and other key due diligence obligations.".
This would give companies less incentive to protect children's rights in their supply chains and to consistently prevent child labor. Working children would be at higher risk of exploitation, as violations would be less frequently detected and punished. Terre des Hommes ' projects show us that exploitation often has lifelong consequences for the children affected.
We urge the Bundestag not to approve these legislative changes, as they represent a massive violation of children's rights. Anyone who wants to credibly advocate for the protection of children and their rights must preserve and strengthen the progress enshrined in law – not reverse it
As part of the Supply Chain Act initiative, Terre des Hommes demands: The Bundestag and Bundesrat must not pass the proposed amendments. Profit does not take precedence over human rights!
Statement by the Supply Chain Act Initiative:
Civil society organizations that had previously been involved in the legislative process were given less than 24 hours after the draft bill was published to submit their comments – an unusually short and unreasonably short timeframe for an analysis from a human rights perspective. Nevertheless, the Supply Chain Act Initiative addresses the most important points in its statement:
"Instead of political activism, we need clear, reliable rules – for the rights of workers along global supply chains as well as for fair competition for companies. In particular, the Bundestag must call on the Federal Government to advocate at the EU level for the preservation of an effective supply chain directive."
The full statement can be found on the website lieferkettengesetz.de.
