The OECD has been at the forefront of providing guidance on how businesses can maximise their positive contributions to sustainable development through identifying and addressing adverse impacts in their operations and supply chains. This work is rooted in three key OECD instruments that provide government-backed recommendations on responsible business conduct (RBC): the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises on Responsible Business Conduct (MNE Guidelines), the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Business Conduct (RBC Guidance) and, in the minerals sector, the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas (Minerals Guidance). Together, these instruments set out the expectations of governments for enterprises to conduct due diligence to identify, prevent and mitigate actual and potential adverse impacts in mineral supply chains.
The purpose of this Handbook is to support the implementation by business of OECD standards on responsible business conduct by elaborating on how to use the OECD due diligence framework to take account of environmental risks and adverse impacts in mineral supply chains, from extraction to processing, smelting or refining, and recycling. This Handbook is part of the work the OECD undertakes to provide practical support to enterprises on the implementation of standards on RBC risks, an earlier example in the minerals sector being the Practical actions for companies to identify and address the worst forms of child labour in mineral supply chains. Beyond the mineral supply chains, the OECD has also developed tailored guidance to help businesses carry out due diligence in other sectors, specifically in the garment and footwear, finance, and agriculture sectors.