Dutch companies in the metallurgy sector often depend on the import of raw materials for their production. RBC`s sector risk analysis, carried out on behalf of the Dutch authorities, has shown that the metallurgical sector is at greater risk of violating human rights, fundamental labour rights and environmental and biodiversity standards and having a negative impact on local communities. In addition, supply chains offer only limited transparency to many raw materials. The Dutch metallurgy sector also works with recycled metal. The use of recycled metal responsibly helps reduce the demand for primary raw materials and contributes to a circular economy. Metallurgical companies also want to identify areas for improvement in the metal recycling segment. As a cornerstone of the Dutch National Action Plan for the Economy and Human Rights, the Dutch Government has actively facilitated the development of Voluntary International Good Governance Agreements (CBRAs) between companies, NGOs and other sectoral partners. In particular, the agreement covers all metals and the entire international metal supply chain, including metal processing companies and end consumers. Most of the Dutch metal supply chain is made up of SMEs. They supply base metals and semi-finished products to the automotive, construction, chemical, aerospace, electronics and other processing industries. The supply chain is very international and includes metal recycling. The Agreement for the Promotion of Sustainable Forestry sets out what the government has agreed with timber industry companies, professional associations, civil society organisations and trade unions.
One of the objectives is to ensure that all coniferous woods sold in the Netherlands in 2020 are produced sustainably. Other agreements include research into the relationship between Dutch sustainable wood certification and csr directives, as well as efforts to increase demand for wood, which can be verified as sustainable. Sustainably managed forests contribute to local economic development and contribute to the fight against climate change and the preservation of biodiversity. Economic globalization has led to an increase in production in places where comparative advantages reduce production costs. A large number of Dutch international companies are active in industrial sectors where production-related risks are high in terms of human rights (including workers` rights), environmental impact and other negative effects covered by the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises and the UN Guidelines. However, developments in the Netherlands, in particular efforts to establish a legal framework for childcare, show that economic and human rights regulation is on the rise. Dutch companies are working together for more responsible entrepreneurial activity at the international level. IrBC agreements are one of the most recent tools developed to achieve this goal.
CNV participates in the development of these agreements for companies, governments, employers` and workers` organizations, as well as social organizations, in order to make their supply chains sustainable and socially responsible. Since 2014, the Dutch government has been actively working on the development of semi-voluntary sectoral agreements on how to address the risks associated with responsible business behaviour at international level. The following section provides an overview of these initiatives. At Tata Steel, we understand that to maintain our business for the long term, we must contribute to the creation of a sustainable society. That`s why we`ve put sustainability at the heart of our strategy. These agreements have been signed by CNV and CNV actively participates in the directives and the corresponding social committees. .