Events & Media
March
March 4 - From 4:15pm - 5:30pm CET, Sarah Dadush will present "Transposing the CSDDD into the contract: The strategy of European standard contractual clauses" at the University of Lausanne (Chamberonne district, Internef building, room 271 ). Free entry, registration required
2025
February
February 10 - RCP Lead European Legal Advisor Daniel Schönfelder participated in the OECD - Forum on Due Diligence in the Garment and Footwear Sector side session: Responsible Contracting and Responsible Exit: the Case of Child Labour. Click here to learn more.
February 13 - Chana Rosenthal, RCP Apparel Advisor, Klaus Eisenreich, Senior European Legal Advisor, and representatives from Zeeman and HAKRO GmbH led a virtual Side Session on contracting under the EU CSDDD as part of the 2025 OECD - Forum on Due Diligence in the Garment and Footwear Sector. For more information visit the event page
November
November 26 - 13th United Nations Forum on Business and Human Rights, Zsofia Kerecsen, Team Leader Corporate Governance Policy, DG JUST, European Commission and Martijn Scheltema, Attorney-at-law and Partner, Pels Rijcken & Droogleever Fortuijn N.V and head of the Working Group for the EMCs presented "Snapshots series on practical approaches and tools on HRDD for business: The European Model Clauses and Responsible Contracting in Supply Chains". For more information click here
November 27 - 13th United Nations Forum on Business and Human Rights, Daniel Schönfelder and Vanessa Zimmerman (CEO of Pillar Two) led the "BHR informal dialogues: Intergenerational Exchange on Business and Human Rights", for more information click here
November 27 - RCP hosted an in-person EMC consultation event, dedicated to receiving feedback on the Zero Draft of the EMCs from participants. The event was hosted at the White and Case Offices in Geneva.
November 18 - RCP presented at a United Nations Global Compact Academy session on "The Role of Responsible Contracting in Sustainable Procurement". Click here to see the video
November 18 - Business and Human Rights Lawyers Association (BHRLA) Member Webinar: Responsible Contracting as a Tool to Implement More Effective Human Rights and Environmental Due Diligence in Global Supply Chains. BHRLA Director Martijn Scheltema hosted an hour-long discussion of the European Model Contract Clauses (EMCs) with team members of the Responsible Contracting Project, Professor Sarah Dadush (Director) and John Sherman (Senior Advisor).
November 20 - Responsible Business 2024 Annual Conference, San Jose CA. Sarah Dadush participated on the panel “Responsible Purchasing Practices: The Missing Link for More Sustainable Supply Chains?”.
October 2024
October 18 - Symposium on Legal Issues in Social Entrepreneurship, Impact Investing and Sustainable Development hosted by The Grunin Center for Law and Social Entrepreneurship and the Journal of Law & Business at NYU School of Law. Sarah Dadush and David Frydlinger presented "What the EU's Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive Says About Contracts"
October 22 - Olivia Windham Stewart participated in the webinar "Navigating ESG in International Contracts: Insights and Implications" hosted by the International Chamber of Commerce Institute of World Business Law
September 2024
September 26 - Accelerating Change: Critical Actions for a Sustainable Global Supply Chain, ABA Business Law Section ESG Committee Event on Zoom, Ben Rutledge presented on Developing Effective Contracts in Supply Chains.
September 12-13 - Global Business and Human Rights Scholars Association Annual Conference at Wageningen University
September 17 - Due Diligence in the Transport Sector: Pathways to Implementation, SÜDWIND and Bremen Development Policy Network, RCP Lead European Legal Advisor Daniel Schönfelder spoke as part of a panel on the connections between responsible contracting and the need for improved human rights due diligence (HRDD) in the trucking and transport sectors.
September 9 - “Building Trust and Equity: Responsible Purchasing as the New Norm," The Industry We Want (TIWW), Brussels, Belgium, Munich, Germany. RCP Lead European Legal Advisor Daniel Schönfelder presented on the Reponsible Contracting Project.
September 4 - “Over to Implementation: Decoding Due Diligence & Equipping Industry for CSDDD Success," Responsible Business Alliance, Brussels, Belgium, RCP Lead European Legal Advisor Daniel Schönfelder participated. See recap post here.
June 2024
June 26 - Sarah Dadush presented at the Living Wage and Living Income Summit, organized by IDH: "to make real strides towards living wages and living income in global value chains, IDH, GIZ, and with sponsorship from the UN Global Compact will bring together over 400 key actors from the private and public sector, including producers, buyers, unions and more, to effect change through responsible business practices, policy instruments, and social dialogue." To learn more click here
May 2024
May 27-28 - Sarah Dadush was one of the experts invited to participate in an exploratory workshop held at the seat of UNIDROIT (the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law) in Rome. The workshop participants discussed the possibilities for creating a new UNIDROIT working group to work on corporate sustainability due diligence in global value chains and contracts.
April 2024
April 23 - Global Alliance of Impact Lawyers (GAIL) Annual Summit, Patrick Miller participated in the panel discussion: "Partnerships for Impact -Opportunities and Challenges"
April 16 - BSR Member and Friends Event, "Innovation in Supply Chain Social Impact", Sarah Dadush spoke on the panel
April 8 - "Harnessing the Market for Social Change: Investors and Responsible Contracting", Chavi Keeney Nana & Sarah Dadush at the University of Connecticut
March 2024
March 19-22 - 2024 ICCR Member Conference, New York City
March 22 - JARO Institute for Sustainability and Digitalization, online session. Michaela Streibelt and Daniel Schönfelder discussed sustainable contract design.
February 2024
February 23 - OECD Forum on Due Diligence in the Garment and Footwear Sector, Paris. Round table discussion, "Leveraging due diligence legislation to promote responsible purchasing practices"
February 23 - The importance of Responsible Contracting in the context of HREDD and what it means in the French context and for implementation of the "Loi de vigilance" hosted at Trinity International, Paris office.
January 2024
January 18-19 - International Conference Connecting Responsible Organizations, Legal Strategies for Sustainability in Global Value Chains, at Tilburg University. [Panel] - The Legal Constitution of Gvcs Through Contracts and Equity Ownership - Michaela Streibelt and Daniel Schönfelder presented.
January 19 - Daniel Schönfelder presented at the Political Science Forum and the European Information Center “brown bag lunch” on Business and human rights
December 2023
December 4-5 - Academic Symposium 2023, organized by World Commerce & Contracting Events, Daniel Schönfelder presented. WATCH HERE (Free registration required)
December 6-8 - Celebrating the 75th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, ABA International Law Section
[Panel] "The Influence of Human Rights in the Private Sphere: New Risks and Responsibilities for Businesses", Sarah Dadush Moderated.
[Panel] Susan Maslow participated on the panel "Due Diligence: Requirements and Recommendations"
December 8 - UN Global Compact Germany, Integrating human rights due diligence into contracts – practical tools and approaches for companies webinar, Daniel Schönfelder and Michaela Streibelt presented.
November 2023
November 22 - [In-person] The Initiative for Global Solidarity (IGS) workshop on Responsible Contracting in Global Supply Chains – a tool for Human Rights and Environmental Due Diligence, in Bonn, Germany.
November 29 - Asia Garment Hub webinar - Integrating Human Rights Due Diligence into Supplier Contracts: A Discussion on Supplier Model Contract Clauses (SMCs) WATCH HERE
October 2023
October 4 - [Panel] Multinational Corporations and Global Value Chains at the Georgia Journal of International and Comparative Law annual conference: “ESG and Corporate Sustainability: Global Perspectives on Regulatory Reform"
October 3-5 - [Panel session] Holding Companies to Account on Human Rights Due Diligence: Practical Tools for Investors - at the ICCR Fall 2023 Conference
October 11 - [Panel] International Chamber of Commerce, Young Arbitration and ADR Forum (ICC YAAF), Contracting for the Future – Managing Risks of ESG/BHR in Arbitration
October 24 - 38th International Apparel Federation (IAF) World Fashion Convention; RCP Director Sarah Dadush participated on the panel discussion "Legislating Good Behavior"
October 22-24 - 38th International Apparel Federation (IAF) World Fashion Convention; RCP Director Sarah Dadush participated on the panel discussion "Legislating Good Behavior"
October 31 - [Online] Business & Human Rights: Model Contract Clauses for Sustainable Supply Chains, a Global Alliance of Impact Lawyers (GAIL) regional event, hosted by GAIL North America
September 2023
[Panel session] Global expectations in relation to CSDD and implementation challenges at NOVA BHRE 3rd annual Conference - Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence: From Law to Practice
July 2023
July 10-12 - Business and Human Rights Forum for Legal Practitioners - 3rd Edition, Human Rights and International Commercial Contracts, International Association of Lawyers
July 7 - Responsible Contracting and Human Rights Due Diligence Legislation; Danish Institute for Human Rights, Wilders Plads 8K, DK-1403 Copenhagen; in-person; The Danish Institute for Human Rights & The Responsible Contracting Project
June 2023
June 29-30 - Annual Conference on Comparative Constitutional Law; Contracting for Human Rights Against the Race to the Bottom: How the Contractual Design of Global Value Chains Can Contribute to Better Human Rights Outcomes, World Comparative Law. Address: Kollegienhaus der FAU, Universitätsstraße 15, 91054 Erlangen, Germany
June 21 - Sustainable Procurement Pledge Global Ambassadors Meeting. RCP Team member Olivia Windham Stewart presented on Responsible Contracting in a New Legislative Environment
June 2 - Lindenpartners x RCP x Twentyfifty, Responsible Contracting in the Age of LkSG & CSDDD
May 2023
May 17 - WorldCC Foundation, World Sustainable Contracting Day: (Case Study) Responsible Contracting Project
March 2023
World Commerce & Contract, One step closer: Shared responsibility contracting for human rights WATCH HERE
February 2023
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), OECD Forum on Due Diligence in the Garment and Footwear Sector [Plenary Session] - Due diligence costs and responsibilities: Collaborative approaches to buyer supplier relationships WATCH HERE
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), OECD Forum on Due Diligence in the Garment and Footwear Sector [Side Session] - Contracts and HREDD Legislation by the Responsible Contracting Project WATCH HERE Passcode: b5.a0Y%H
SupplyShift: How Human Rights Due Diligence legislation affects your procurement teams and more WATCH HERE
December 2022
WorldCC Foundation, Academic Symposium 2022,
The development of standard terms and principles to embed ESG in contracts; The impact of ESG on classical theory of risk allocation and transfer: A move to shared responsibility
November 2022
WorldCC Foundation, Modern slavery: What can contracting professionals do about it? WATCH HERE
October 2022
British Institute of International and Comparative Law, HRDD Forum Annual Conference: Human Rights Due Diligence, Price and Remuneration - Practical steps to integrate pricing and remuneration into human rights due diligence
Sustainable Brands 2022 San Diego
Goodwin Procter LLP: Contracting for ESG - Using Contracts to Comply with ESG Obligations and Implement Company Policies
September 2022
NOVA BHRE: The Draft Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD): Opportunities And Challenges; The Enforcement of the Draft CSDDD
July 2022
Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility, Contracting for Human Rights: Aligning Contracts with UNGPs and OECD Guidance for Improved Human Rights Outcomes
Fashion Revolution USA, Fashion Citizenship Series: Mandatory Human Rights Due Diligence Panel WATCH HERE
June 2022
American Sustainable Business Network: Socially Responsible Supply Chain Contracts WATCH HERE
ILR School at Cornell University: What do Sustainable Supply Chains look like? Mandatory Due Diligence in Europe
May 2022
World Commerce & Contracting, World Sustainable Contracting Day: Model contract clauses to protect workers in international supply chains
New York City Bar: The Impact of COVID-19 on Business Practices and the Rights of Vulnerable Workers and Communities
April 2022
University of Illinois Chicago, Center for International Law: 20th Annual Dominick L. DiCarlo U.S. Court of International Trade Lecture, Contracting for Compliance
B Local Los Angeles: Bringing to life your mission through sustainable supply chain governance
March 2022
American Bar Association: Conscious Consumerism and the Government’s Role in Regulating Companies’ Ethical Promises LISTEN HERE
Legalweek, The Influential Lawyer: How Legal Leaders Are Driving ESG Change
February 2022
[Side Session] Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), OECD Forum on Due Diligence in the Garment and Footwear Sector; Contracting for Human Rights: Aligning Contracts with the UNGPs and OECD Guidance WATCH HERE
University of Connecticut Business and Human Rights Forum: Model Contract Clauses for Human Rights
November 2021
Impact Investing Law Working Group: New Model Contract Clauses to Protect Workers’ Human Rights in Supply Chains
October 2021
Thomson Reuters Foundation TrustLaw Training: Social Enterprise, ESG and Impact Investing: Mandatory Environmental and Human Rights Due Diligence
June 2021
Rutgers Law School Center for Corporate Law and Governance, The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights +10: Celebrating a Decade of Catalyzing Innovative Human Rights Enforcement WATCH HERE
April 2021
American Bar Association: Business Law Section Spring Meeting CLE Program
March 2021
NOVA Knowledge Centre for Business, Human Rights and the Environment: Corporate Due Diligence in Contract and Company Law WATCH HERE
Contracting for Human Rights: Using the ABA Working Group’s Model Contract Clauses 2.0, Sarah Dadush, (transcript of webinar on Corporate Due Diligence in Contract and Company Law organized by the Nova Centre on Business, Human Rights and the Environment with the support of the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union held on March 25, 2021)
February 2021
British Institute for International and Contemporary Law (BIICL), HRDD Forum: Human Rights Due Diligence in Contracts
Coverage of RCP and its work in external media sources, including news stories, reports, podcasts, interviews, etc.
2025
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[Article] "Draft Model Clauses for Responsible Investing: Call for Consultation", Business Law Today, February 2025. Read the article here.
You can learn more about the Responsible Investor Model Clauses (RIMCs) here
2024
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[Blog post] Coverage of RCP's policy brief "What the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive Says About Contracts," Asia Garment Hub, July 2024
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[Article] "Project offers briefing on CSDDD contracts", Ecotextile, August 2024
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[Blog post] Coverage of "Amicus brief: Contract Cancellation and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights: Responsible Contracting Project’s Friend of Court Brief Before the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals," BHRRC, Aug 2024
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RCP Director Sarah Dadush was interviewed for a BBC investigative news documentary and article on child labour in the luxury perfume industry, BBC, June 2024
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[Blog post] Verfassungsblog: A Comparative Analysis between the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive and the French and German Legislation, May 30
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[Article] What does the EU due diligence directive mean for Bangladesh?, The Daily Star, May 31, 2024
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[Podcast] Sarah Dadush: Can Contracts Support Promoting Responsible Business, Frankly Speaking - A Podcast on Responsible Business, April 2024
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[Report]Mending the Buyer-Supplier Relationship, Sourcing Journal State of the Industry Report, March 2024
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[Article] Safeguarding Supply Chains With Diversified Sourcing Maps and Shipping Strategies, Sourcing Journal, March 2024
2023
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[Podcast] European Model Contractual Clauses to uphold Business and Human Rights in Supply Chains, NOVA BHRE, December 2023 LISTEN HERE
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Nike in Hot Water with Investors Over Workers’ Rights, ESG Investor, September 2023
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[Podcast] Supply Chain Contracts are Protecting Human Rights, with Sue Maslow, Patrick Miller, and Olivia Windham Stewart, Business Fights Poverty, May 2023 LISTEN HERE
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[Report] Engagement, Remedy & Justice: Priorities for the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive from workers in the Global South, Business and Human Rights Resource Centre, May 2023
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[Report] Rana Plaza Ten Years On: Lessons for Human Rights and Business, The Institute for Human Rights and Business, April 2023
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[PDF Toolkit] Adaption of the Model Contract Clauses To Protect Workers In International Supply Chains, The Mekong Club, March 2023
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ESG in M&A: Focus on the "S," ABA Business Law Section Busines Law Today, April 2023
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Tuliphare Shareholder Proposal to Nike on Human Rights, March 2023:
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Nike Faces Shareholder Proposal on Human Rights, Reuters, March 2023
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Activist Investment Platform Pens Letter to Nike Board Over Worker Rights Concerns, Business of Fashion, March 2023
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Investor Pressures Nike to Address Forced Labor Claims, Vogue Business, March 2023
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[VIDEO] Shareholder proposal result of Nike ‘completely ignoring us,’ Tulipshare Founder Say, Yahoo Finance! March 2023 WATCH HERE
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So you think you know your supply chain?, Financial Times, March 2023
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OECD in Paris: European corporate due diligence must create level playing field, through effective enforcement, Fashion United, February 2023
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[Report] Respect & Protect: The State of Corporate Human Rights Due Diligence in Canada, BMO Global Asset Management, February 2023
2022
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[Podcast] Model Contract Clauses for Human Rights with Susan Maslow & Patrick Miller, ESG Decoded, November 2022 LISTEN HERE
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[Podcast] Model Contract Clauses to Protect Human Rights in Global Supply Chains, NOVA BHRE, September 2022 LISTEN HERE
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[Podcast] ESG: How Supply Chain Contracts Affect Human Rights, On Record PR, August 2022 LISTEN HERE
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[Podcast] Contracts and Supply Chains with Sarah Dadush and Susan Maslow, Hidden Traffic, June 2022 LISTEN HERE
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[Podcast] Contracting for ESG with Sarah Dadush and David Snyder, The ESG Compliance, May 2022 LISTEN HERE
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[Podcast] The Model Contract Clauses for Human Rights Project, The Hearing – A Legal Podcast by Thomson Reuters, April 2022 LISTEN HERE
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Soccer Balls Stitched By Tiny Fingers, reviewing Balancing Buyer and Supplier Responsibilities in JOTWELL, by Dan Barnhizer, January 2022
2021
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Changing Fashion’s Buying Practices: What’s to Come for Brands, Vogue Business, November 2021
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ANALYSIS: Supply Chain Norms Are Returning, But With a Twist, Bloomberg Law, June 2021
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Business and Human Rights, Analysing Modern Slavery Risks In Portfolio Companies: Practical Considerations For Investors, Mondaq, June 2021
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Garment Workers Owed $39.8M, Women’s Wear Daily, April 2021
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Human Rights Due Diligence in Supply Chain Contracts: A Shared Responsibility of Buyer and Supplier?, Lexology, April 2021
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Canceling Fashion Orders: The Legal Rethink, Vogue Business, April 2021
2019
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Why it’s so hard to hold companies accountable when they break their ethical promises, Quartz, December 2019
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Work authored by the RCP team, including legal briefs, books, journal articles, and other professional contributions published in external sources. Click here for the RCP Toolkit.
2025
[Workshop Summary] RCP European Legal Advisor Michaela Streibelt published a summary of her workshop at the 2024 BME Sustainable Procurement Summit in Darmstadt, Germany. The article highlights how responsible contracting can align procurement with business goals while ensuring due diligence under the German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (LkSG). It emphasizes shared responsibility, ethical procurement, and prioritizing remediation over supplier penalties. Read the article, available in German, here.
[Learning Module] RCP in partnership with United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) have published a new chapter on Responsible Contracting as part of the Decent Work Toolkit. This guide explains how responsible contracts are the cornerstone of effective sustainable procurement practices, ensuring that all parties involved share responsibility for addressing adverse human rights and environmental (HRE) impacts. Read the full chapter here.
2024
[Amicus Brief] Contract Cancellation and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights: Responsible Contracting Project’s Friend of Court Brief Before the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, by John Sherman, Sarah Dadush, and Olivia Windham Stewart, Aug 2024. Read the press release here.
2023
Effective and appropriate HRDD requires a shared responsibility approach, responsible contracting & purchasing, by Michaela Streibelt and Daniel Schönfelder, NOVA Law, December 2023
What new standards on Responsible Business Conduct tell us about Contracting, by Ben Rutledge, NOVA Law School Website, November 2023
Contracts for Responsible and Sustainable Supply Chains: Model Contract Clauses, Legal Analysis, and Practical Perspectives, edited by Susan A Maslow and David V Snyder, ABA Publishing, August 2023
Complying with Mandatory Human Rights Due Diligence Legislation through Shared-Responsibility Contracting: The Example of Germany’s Supply Chain Act (LkSG), Contracts for Responsible and Sustainable Supply Chains: Model Contract Clauses, Legal Analysis, and Practical Perspectives, by Sarah Dadush, Daniel Schönfelder & Bettina Braun, ABA Business Law Section, 2023
2022
Contracting for Human Rights: Experiences from the US ABA MCC 2.0 and the European EMC Projects, by Bettina Braun, Daniel Schönfelder, Martijn Scheltema, NOVA Law School website, November 2022
Model Contract Clauses to Protect Workers in International Supply Chains, Version 2.0, by The Working Group to Draft Human Rights Protections in International Supply Contracts, ABA Business Law Section, David V. Snyder, Susan A. Maslow, Sarah Dadush, ABA Business Law Today, September 2022
Prosocial Contracts: Making Relational Contracts More Relational, by Sarah Dadush, Duke Journal of Law & Contemporary Problems, 2022
Contracting for Process, by David V. Snyder, Duke Journal of Law & Contemporary Problems, 2022
Balancing Buyer and Supplier Responsibilities: Model Contract Clauses to Protect Workers in International Supply Chains, Version 2.0, by David V. Snyder, Susan A. Maslow & Sarah Dadush, 77 Bus. Law., 2022
2021
Sharing Responsibility for Human Rights in Supply Chains, by Olivia Windham Stewart & Sarah Dadush, Bloomberg Law, September 2021
The Demise of Corporate Responsibility in Supply Chains, by Susan A. Maslow, Bloomberg Law, September 2021
How Contracts Can Improve Human Rights in Supply Chains, by Susan A. Maslow, Bloomberg Law, September 2021
Balancing Buyer and Supplier Responsibilities: Model Contract Clauses to Protect Workers in International Supply Chains, Version 2.0, by The Working Group to Draft Human Rights Protections in International Supply Contracts, ABA Business Law Section, David V. Snyder, Susan A. Maslow, Sarah Dadush, Business Law Today, May 2021
[Op-Ed] Viewpoint: No Need to Reinvent Wheels: Drafting Meaningful Human Rights Due Diligence through Model Suggested Supply Chain Contract Clauses, by John F. Sherman III, Shift, March 2021
2019
Contracting for Human Rights: Looking to Version 2.0 of the ABA Model Contract Clauses (symposium on supply chains), by Sarah Dadush, American U. Law Review, 2019