'PRESS RELEASE: Brussels effect – Swiss Government’s decision to introduce corporate due diligence law confirms EU’s leadership role in sustainability'

[On 3 September 2025], the Swiss government acknowledged the need for more robust action on responsible business conduct. The Federal Council announced to present, until March 2026, a concrete legislative proposal coordinated with the EU’s final Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) after adoption of the first Omnibus.

“The Swiss decision proves again that the EU is a leading example in sustainability which other countries follow suit and shows the EU’s capacity to shape the global market and competition.“ said Nele Meyer, Director of the European Coalition for Corporate Justice. “The EU must assume this responsibility and must not join the race to the bottom that we see pushed by the US and other actors and that serves the commercial interests of a few while creating greater harm and risks for the rest of the global population and the planet. Instead, the EU must counter this push, maintain its own standards instead of weakening them and advance robust standards at global level.”

The European Union’s leadership in social and environmental standards, labour rights and data protection has historically created what scholars term the “Brussels Effect” – whereby EU regulations become de facto global standards due to market influence and the robustness of standards. With its new deregulation initiative resulting in the drastic weakening of sustainability standards, the European Commission departs fundamentally from decades of progressive European legislation that established the EU as a global standard-setter. The Omnibus I Package, introduced in February 2025, intends to weaken key sustainability regulations.

Switzerland is the 4th largest European headquarters location of multinational companies in Europe. To this day, certain corporations based in Switzerland continue to violate human rights and fundamental environmental regulations...

Yesterday’s decision by the Swiss government is a reaction to a new popular initiative, just filed before the summer break, after a record-breaking mobilization this year. The Responsible Business Initiative was signed by over 280’000 citizens and is carried forward by a committee of civil society representatives and politicians from almost all political parties. A similar initiative narrowly failed at the ballots in 2020 when a majority of the population adopted the initiative at national level, but not the necessary majority of the 26 cantons was achieved.

Media articles referenced in ECCJ's press release (via "Read More") in connection with Swiss companies include comments from those companies regarding allegations of human rights and environmental abuse. Von Roll did not react to an invitation from "20 Minuten" to submit a statement, according to the newspaper. Additional information and company commentary on the cited Glencore (Antapaccay) mine is available here on our website.