Devoir de Vigilance (Duty of Care Law)

In 2017, France propelled itself to the forefront of human rights due diligence regulation by imposing a “duty of care” on French companies meeting certain thresholds. Since then, companies with 5,000 employees in France and 10,000 employees in France and abroad are required to establish, effectively manage, and communicate measures to identify and prevent abuses of human rights, fundamental freedoms, health and safety of the individuals, and the environment.

By the law, companies must publish an annual vigilance plan covering five areas:

• Risk mapping to identify, analyze and prioritize risks
• Regular evaluation of suppliers, subcontractors or subsidiaries
• Actions to mitigate risks or prevent serious harm
• An alert and complaint mechanism for the existence or occurrence of risks, drawn up in consultation with the trade unions representing the company
• A system for monitoring the implementation of measures and evaluating their effectiveness

To learn more about how the Duty of Care Law (Devoir de Vigilance) affects your business, check out this two-pager in French.