Sanchita B. Saxena, PhD
Areas of expertise: Business and human rights, the garment industry in Asia, labor conditions in global supply chains, stakeholder engagement, shared responsibility business models and partnerships, effective grievance mechanisms, restructuring social audits, and economic and political development in South Asia.
IN THE NEWS: May 2026
I co-authored a Policy Brief with Silvia Fregoni: The Non-Negotiables: CSDDD and the Case for Building Trust Now.
With the European Union’s Omnibus package now formally adopted, the period of uncertainty surrounding the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) has come to an end. The package narrowed parts of the Directive, but it should not be read as a signal that companies no longer need to act.
What remains under the CSDDD still includes a set of non-negotiables: core operational obligations that go well beyond what many companies do today. These include identifying risks through meaningful stakeholder engagement, operating effective grievance and remedy mechanisms, and aligning business relationships with human rights expectations.
These capabilities cannot be built overnight. They require time, internal coordination, and systems that workers, suppliers, and stakeholders will trust enough to use. This brief identifies the key human rights obligations after Omnibus, explains why they demand action now, and highlights best practices.
