The Corporate Human Rights Benchmark (CHRB) is the world’s first benchmark focused exclusively on comparing companies’ human rights performance, based on publicly available information. It ranks some of the biggest companies in the world on implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and other internationally recognised human rights and industry standards. This performance has become increasingly relevant to a wide range of audiences including investors, customers and civil society, alongside company leadership wanting to see how they fare amongst their peers. The CHRB contributes to this discussion by providing a solid evidence base to understand where large companies are doing well on addressing human rights risk management and where they need to improve.
CHRB published its first benchmark of 100 of the largest publicly traded companies in the world in 2017 across the extractives, apparel and agricultural products sectors. After a second iteration in 2018 with the same companies, in 2019, CHRB expanded to include 200 companies as well as the ICT manufacturing sector; and in 2020, CHRB will add the automotive sector to the CHRB and cover 230 companies. In 2019 there were 6 Australian companies included in the CHRB but the GCNA has seen other Australian companies use the CHRB for peer learning and to help frame their human rights approach. Other stakeholders have also used the CHRB’s methodology to separately benchmark Australian business.
The CHRB is also now part of the World Benchmarking Alliance.
Help Shape the Next Benchmarks
This online business-only consultation, co-hosted with the Global Compact Network Australia, is part of a series of consultations that the CHRB is convening across the world to seek feedback from stakeholders as part of a year-long review of its methodology. The session will focus on next steps for the CHRB, with a focus on bigger picture issues about what should be added or modified in the 2021 CHRB.
Agenda for the Meeting
• Presentation of CHRB, brief overview of results to date and key proposed methodology changes under consideration
• Discussion: Participants share their inputs, feedback and suggestions for improving the CHRB Methodology
• Next steps: How the feedback will be used and ways to stay connected
You can register for the event here.