All publications: responsible business conduct

Policy brief

Access to remedy and decent work

This brief explores the relationship between labour rights and access to remedy from a business and human rights perspective. It examines mechanisms for addressing labour-related grievances, barriers to effective remedy and the complementary roles...

Supply chains

Mapping the rubber supply chain in Malaysia

The Brief provides an overview of Malaysia’s rubber supply chain, its key actors and export linkages, while examining decent work challenges and opportunities to promote stronger labour governance and responsible business conduct.

ILO Brief

Labour, trade and responsible business conduct are converging: What this means for employer and business membership organizations (EBMOs)...

This ILO Brief examines how labour standards and responsible business expectations are increasingly shaping market access, supply chains and business competitiveness in Asia and the Pacific. It highlights the role of employer and business membership...

ILO Brief

Asia-Pacific survey to employers and business membership organizations on labour, trade and responsible business conduct

This ILO Brief presents the findings of a survey of employer and business membership organizations (EBMOs) in Asia and the Pacific. The survey highlights growing demand among businesses for support in navigating labour, trade and responsible...

Business and Human Rights

National Action Plans on Business and Human Rights. A Guide for Employer and Business Membership Organizations

The report examines private sector engagement in National Action Plans (NAPs) on Business and Human Rights across five Asia-Pacific countries: Lao PDR, Malaysia, Mongolia, the Philippines and Viet Nam. Drawing on stakeholder interviews and policy...

Research Brief

More and better jobs through trade, the role of responsible business conduct and international labour standards

Trade has the potential to drive economic growth and create more and better jobs. Yet these gains are neither guaranteed nor equally shared. This makes it essential for trade policy to explicitly consider its impact on job quantity and quality, and...

Social dialogue for sustainable trade and investment, the case of South Africa

When social dialogue functions well, it can connect economic and social policy objectives and strengthens cooperation among government, business, and workers' organisations. Helping align trade and foreign direct investment policies with sustainable...

Investor Guidelines for Responsible Business Conduct and Decent Work

Investor guidelines on responsible business conduct and decent work can help bridge the gap between host government expectations and investor practice. Investor guidelines are voluntary tools that clarify expectations and identify specific areas...

The promotion of sustainable, responsible and inclusive business practices among SMEs in Montenegro

This study examines how Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Montenegro are engaging with Responsible Business Conduct (RBC) and human rights due diligence (HRDD) for decent work, with the aim of identifying how institutional and policy frameworks...

ILO Working Paper 171

The role of national social dialogue institutions in shaping investment policies

This paper examines how national social dialogue institutions can help align foreign direct investment with decent work and sustainable development. Drawing on eleven case studies, it highlights emerging practices, institutional challenges and...

Aligning skills development with Sustainable Investment for more and better jobs

Case studies

Translating global principles into local practices: Enterprise case studies on responsible business conduct in the Lao People’s Democratic...

Operationalizing RBC for Decent Work: Sharing of experience from automotive sector enterprises in India

ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance)

Leading by example. Building environmental, social and governance services in Employer and Business Membership Organizations

Leading by example: Building environmental, social, and governance services in Employer and Business Membership Organizations This new brief, developed under the LEADER Knowledge Series, provides Employer and Business Membership Organizations...

Responsible business conduct (RBC)

From principles to practice: Responsible Business Conduct among Malaysian electrical and electronics and automotive enterprises

Research Brief

Investment facilitation for more and better jobs

This brief explores how foreign direct investment can support more and better jobs through productivity gains, technology transfer, skills development, enterprise linkages and responsible business conduct, while highlighting the key role of...

Fact sheet

Responsible and Inclusive Supply Chains for Migrant Workers in Thailand (RISC-Migrant)

The RISC-Migrant project is a one-year initiative led by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and supported by the supplementary budget of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan (MOFA). It delivers rapid and targeted support to protect...

Event summary

Migrant workers at the heart of Thai rubber sector equipped with labour rights and social protection knowledge

The workshop on Responsible Business Conduct (RBC) in the Thai rubber sector for migrant workers, held by the RISC-Migrant project on 25 September 2025, aims to address RBC implementation gaps in labour rights protection and raise awareness on...

Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG)

Start where you are: ESG for companies of all sizes. The importance of ESG for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)

This brief provides a practical introduction to why Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) matters for businesses of every size, with a special focus on small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). It clarifies the business case for ESG,...

Guide

Responsible business for decent work in the Indonesian electronics sector: A guide for SMEs

This toolkit was designed in close engagement with the Indonesian Employers Association (APINDO) as a practical, step-by-step resource to help companies operating in Indonesia’s electronics and wider manufacturing sector to understand and implement...