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Briefings and reports

This section contains briefings and reports published by the Business and Human Rights Centre.

To see briefings in all our languages, switch ON the ‘Show all languages’ toggle at the top of the page or in the menu.

Transition Minerals Tracker: 2026 global analysis

Human rights abuses in transition mineral mining are surging at an alarming rate. We recorded 329 new allegations of abuse at cobalt, copper, iron, lithium, bauxite, manganese, rare earth elements, nickel and zinc mining projects in 2025.

Highlighted releases

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Navigating a global crossroads: Human rights defenders and business in 2025

We documented nearly 800 attacks against human rights defenders raising concerns about business in 2025 – more than two attacks a day on average.

George Kaguangi, flickr; BAKUMSU; Knut-Erik Helle, flickr; Sean Comiskey via Eyes on Rights, flickr, Fairphone

Justice in the transition: Litigating corporate abuse in the shift to clean energy for all

This year’s analysis of the cases in the Business and Human Rights Centre’s Just Transition Litigation Tracking Tool reveals a growing wave of litigation, with 95 cases across the world brought by rightsholders over human rights abuses in projects linked to the global shift to clean energy. These lawsuits are not a rejection of climate action; they are a demand for a truly just transition.

Commercial priorities, human costs: fashion brands' purchasing practices during the US tariff crisis

We monitored global media coverage, supplier disclosure and direct testimony from unions and worker organisations across garment producing countries to understand how brand and buyer responses to US tariff changes translated into labour impacts across supply chains.

BHRRC

Videos: Canadian companies in Colombia

Canada’s reputation on the global stage is based on high human rights standards and progressive climate action. Yet in Colombia, communities affected by the operations of these industries report a litany of human rights abuses. This documentary series explores the uncomfortable gap between Canada’s image and its impact abroad, asking what happens when profit is prioritised over people.

Shutterstock (licensed)

“We were treated as if we were machines”: Migrant workers powering Saudi Arabia’s energy transition

Testimony from 34 migrant workers employed on nine renewable energy projects in Saudi Arabia reveals a litany of alleged human rights abuses. This briefing analyses the public human rights commitments of 16 companies linked to these projects and sets out recommendations for the sector.

Pexels - Ketut Subiyanto

Hidden risk is the most expensive: What investors need to know about high-risk surveillance technology

Surveillance technologies such as spyware, digital forensics tools, cell site simulators, and deep packet inspection systems are often marketed as “must-have” tools to combat crime or terrorism. These technologies sit at the intersection of security, innovation, and rising government demand, making them appear to be attractive investment opportunities. Yet for investors, this sector carries severe, under-recognised risks.

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221 results

  • F Armstrong, Shutterstock

    Centring risks to migrant workers in investment portfolios: Guidance for investors

    8 Apr 2025

    Migrant workers are at heightened risk of exposure to unfair recruitment, exploitation and abusive living conditions, which can also pose serious, numerous risks to companies and investors. We explore cases from our database to highlight the links between risks to workers and these risks to capital, with recommendations for responsible investors.

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  • Shutterstock

    2025 KnowTheChain ICT benchmark

    2 Apr 2025

    KnowTheChain assesses the 45 largest global ICT companies on their efforts to address forced labour risks

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  • Shutterstock

    KnowTheChain ICT benchmark 2025: Purchasing practices

    2 Apr 2025

    The 2025 KnowTheChain ICT benchmark revealed purchasing practices as an area of critical weakness for ICT companies, with an average score of just 5/100 and 84% of companies scoring zero. This deep dive explores how poor purchasing practices are driving systemic labour rights issues in the sector.

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  • Shutterstock

    KnowTheChain ICT benchmark 2025: Supply chain traceability and transparency

    24 Mar 2025

    The 2025 KnowTheChain ICT benchmark revealed traceability and supply chain transparency as a crucial gap in many ICT companies' approach to addressing forced labour risks. This deep dive analyses key examples of practice and provides recommendations for companies to improve their supply chain traceability and transparency.

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  • F Armstrong, Shutterstock

    "Not just a number": Tracking migrant worker abuse in global supply chains - 2025 Global Analysis

    19 Feb 2025

    We recorded 665 cases of alleged abuse of migrant workers in 2024 - a catalogue of abuse which speaks to the very worst impacts of unregulated corporate action and lack of accountability. Explore the data using our interactive tools.

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  • Sai Han One / Shutterstock.com

    Four years on: Business and human rights under military rule in Myanmar

    1 Feb 2025

    Four years since Myanmar’s military seized power on 1 February 2021, more than six thousand people have been killed and about three million more are displaced throughout the country. However, some companies appear to be thriving in the context of the conflict, and in some cases exacerbating it, particularly in the garment, rare earth mining, aviation and technology industries. Their decisions and approach to human rights due diligence – or lack thereof – will continue to have serious consequences for the people of Myanmar.

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  • Shutterstock (licensed)

    Shein, ultra-fast fashion and forced labour risks: Key issues for investors

    18 Dec 2024

    Ahead of Shein’s anticipated IPO in London, we assessed the company’s public disclosure on addressing forced labour in global supply chains against the KnowTheChain benchmark methodology. The findings demonstrate Shein falls significantly short of leaders in the apparel and footwear benchmark – a red flag for investors given the company’s scope for human rights harm due to its size, speed and purchasing power.

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  • BHRRC

    Who pays for the crisis? Purchasing practices analysis - December 2024

    12 Dec 2024

    We examine the human cost of fashion brands’ shifting sourcing strategies amidst instability in demand and orders—leading to factory closures, job losses and unpaid wages for workers. At the core of these issues are poor purchasing practices and their devastating impact on labour rights.

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  • Shutterstock (licensed)

    Stop and listen: Pathways to meaningful engagement with rightsholders in the global rush to mine for transition minerals

    11 Dec 2024

    As pressure to extract transition minerals ramps up, meaningful engagement with mining-affected rights-holders must be a core feature of state and corporate commitments to a just energy transition - one that is built on fair negotiations and true access to information, respect for human and environmental rights and shared prosperity. We explore the challenges and barriers to effective community participation in transition mineral mining projects.

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  • Shutterstock

    Rush to renewables: Toward migrant worker rights and a just energy transition in the Gulf

    26 Nov 2024

    As the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries – Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) – race to ramp up renewable energy production and meet climate goals, business focus must shift to prioritise the rights of the migrant workers on whose labour the energy transition depends.

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