With many organisations already being subject to some form of reporting legislation, a growing number of regulations are being enacted which require businesses to carry out due diligence on human rights and environmental impacts of their operations and supply chains. Ardea International keeps abreast of legal developments in these areas and can support businesses to meet their legal environmental compliance obligations.

What is a due diligence supply chain legal register?

A legal register is a system that details legislation that an organisation must  comply with based on the activities it carries out. The Ardea due diligence supply chain legal register allows users to review human rights and environmental disclosure legislation across any jurisdictions relevant to their business and supply chains. The disclosure legal register sets out obligations and penalties for noncompliance as well as listing reporting and due diligence requirements for evidencing compliance. It will provide visibility of supply chain due diligence reporting requirements

The scope of the register can be tailored to suit each client’s needs, allowing them to view only legislation that is pertinent to their business. In viewing disclosure obligations in this way, users can gain an insight into the key legal developments and any potential risks with clarity.

The register is updated as required to capture incoming legislation from the proposal stage to it coming into force, allowing users to track and prepare for new compliance obligations.

Also included are a range of other resources to inform and develop due diligence processes, such as:

• key voluntary frameworks;
• international conventions;
• government guidance;
• government initiatives;
• industry initiatives relevant to the user’s business;

Five key benefits of using the Ardea International due diligence  supply chain Legal Register are:

1. Understanding obligations: An intuitive system and plain English summaries make it easy to understand and communicate compliance obligations when developing due diligence
2. Keeping up to date: Continuous updates notify users of any important changes to legislation that may require adjustments in practice to remain compliant
3. Risk Management: it allows users to track and prioritise risks and manage continuous improvement in a methodical way
4. Insight into supply chain due diligence requirements
5. Saving time and costs: It holds tailored compliance information in a centralised location, providing a time and cost-efficient way to manage complex compliance requirements
6. Going beyond compliance: The inclusion of best practice resources allows users to develop sector-leading due diligence practices above and beyond their legal obligations

How does the register work?

As part of the register licence, Ardea will carry out compliance audits and provide accompanying checklists to companies to assess whether their business are legally compliant.  These checklists can also be used to determine legal compliance by subsidiaries and suppliers. Where risks or non-conformities are identified, corrective actions will be added to the register with a timescale and requirement to be verified by a manager.

Will it suit my company’s needs?

The scope of the register is tailored to suit each client’s needs, allowing them to view only legislation that is pertinent to their business. In viewing disclosure and due diligence obligations in this way, users can gain an insight into the key legal obligations that apply to their organisation and to developments and any potential risks that will need addressing in the business or supply chain. The register is updated as required to capture incoming legislation from the proposal stage to it coming into force, allowing users to track and prepare for new compliance obligations.

What is included in the register?

• Licence to access the legal register
• A summary of key reporting and due diligence obligations to meet supply chain due diligence requirements
• A bespoke set of compliance checklists
• Compliance audit by an Ardea auditor
• Review of contractual obligations by an Ardea auditor
• Prioritisation of compliance risks and actions to address any non-conformities

What does it cost?

The register is flexibly priced depending on the scale of the business and scope of the register and audit service.

How can Ardea’s expertise help?

For over 10 years Ardea has been working with organisations to lead them beyond compliance in addressing sustainability, environmental impacts, human rights and modern slavery holistically. We recognise that organisations are looking for flexible support to add value to their internal expertise.