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Private International Law Aspects of Corporate Social Responsibility

Part of the book series: Ius Comparatum - Global Studies in Comparative Law ((GSCL,volume 42))

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Abstract

In the Netherlands, there are several interesting developments when it comes to the PIL-aspects of CSR. First and foremost, Dutch courts have over the past few years been confronted with various cases in which Dutch companies (and their foreign subsidiaries) have been held to account for irresponsible business conduct in global value chains using non-contractual liability law. In most, issues relating to jurisdiction and applicable law have played a crucial role. Furthermore, Dutch companies increasingly rely on contractual mechanisms to implement supplier codes of conduct with a view to ensuring UNGP and OECD Guidelines compliant behavior throughout their supply chains. However, it should be noted that this development has not yet led to legal disputes generating case law about the scope and interpretation of these contractual obligations and/or their PIL-aspects. This is also true for the existing Dutch rules on company law, which as of yet contain few specific CSR-related obligations other than a number of reporting obligations for certain Dutch companies with respect to non-financial performance indicators like environmental, personnel and (in some cases) human rights issues. As far as alternative dispute resolution is concerned, it may be noted that the Dutch NCP is relatively active when it comes to resolving specific instances and has recently dealt with several interesting cases. Furthermore, the Dutch multi-stakeholder Agreement on Responsible Business Conduct in the Textile Sector includes an independent and binding dispute and complaint mechanism where third parties may file complaints against adhering companies on non-compliance with the agreement.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    SER (15 Dec 2000) De winst van waarden. Available at ser.nl/nl/publicaties/adviezen/2000-2009/2000/b19054.aspx; SER (20 June 2008) Duurzame globalisering: een wereld te winnen. Available at ser.nl/nl/publicaties/adviezen/2000-2009/2008/b26895.aspx.

  2. 2.

    SER (19 Dec 2008) Verklaring inzake Internationaal Maatschappelijk Verantwoord Ondernemen. Available at ser.nl/nl/publicaties/overige/2000-2008/2008/b27428.aspx.

  3. 3.

    Inspireren, innoveren, integreren: kabinetsvisie maatschappelijk verantwoord ondernemen 2008–2011, Kamerstukken II 2007/08, 26 485, no. 53. Available at docplayer.nl/8970415-Kabinetsvisie-maatschappelijk-verantwoord-ondernemen-2008-2011-inspireren-innoveren-integreren.html.

  4. 4.

    Maatschappelijk verantwoord ondernemen loont, Kamerstukken II 2012/12, 26 485, no. 164. Available at https://zoek.officielebekendmakingen.nl/kst-26485-164.html; Nationaal Actieplan Bedrijfsleven en Mensenrechten, Kamerstukken II 2013/14, 26 485, no. 174. Available at rijksoverheid.nl/documenten/brochures/2014/05/28/nationaal-actieplan-bedrijfsleven-en-mensenrechten; Stand van zaken IMVO-convenanten, Kamerstukken II, 2014/15, 26 485, no. 212 and Kamerstukken II, 2015/16, 26 485, no. 220.

  5. 5.

    See, for the annual reports: National Contact Point OECD Guidelines. Annual reports Dutch NCP. Available at oecdguidelines.nl/ncp/annual-reports. See, for a summary of the 2018 annual work plan: National Contact Point OECD Guidelines (2018) Summary NCP workplan 2018. Available at oecdguidelines.nl/ncp/documents/publication/2018/03/27/summary-ncp-workplan-2018.

  6. 6.

    See National Contact Point OECD Guidelines (2017) Summary NCP workplan 2017, p. 2. Available at oecdguidelines.nl/ncp/documents/publication/2017/03/07/summary-ncp-workplan-2017. See also for a summary of the 2018 annual work plan: National Contact Point OECD Guidelines (2018) Summary NCP workplan 2018. Available at oecdguidelines.nl/ncp/documents/publication/2018/03/27/summary-ncp-workplan-2018.

  7. 7.

    See Nationaal Contact Point OECD Guidelines (23 July 2014) Instellingsbesluit 2014 zorgt voor verfijning en versterking werkzaamheden NCP. Available at oesorichtlijnen.nl/ncp/nieuws/2014/7/23/instellingsbesluit-2014-zorgt-voor-verfijning-en-versterking-werkzaamheden-ncp.

  8. 8.

    See National Contact Point OECD Guidelines, Afgeronde meldingen. Available at oesorichtlijnen.nl/meldingen/overzicht-meldingen/afgeronde-meldingen.

  9. 9.

    See National Contact Point OECD Guidelines (2017) Final statement specific instance former employees Bralima vs. Bralima and Heineken. Available at oecdguidelines.nl/documents/publication/2017/08/18/final-statement-notification-bralima-vs-heineken.

  10. 10.

    See National Contact Point OECD Guidelines (14 Nov 2017) Publication Dutch NCP initial assessment filed by 4 NGOs, vs. ING bank. Available at oecdguidelines.nl/documents/publication/2017/11/14/publication-dutch-ncp-initial-assessment-filed-by-4-ngos-vs.-ing-bank.

  11. 11.

    Nationaal Actieplan Bedrijfsleven en Mensenrechten, Kamerstukken II, 2013/14, 26 485, no. 174 (hereinafter: Dutch NAP). Available at rijksoverheid.nl/documenten/brochures/2014/05/28/nationaal-actieplan-bedrijfsleven-en-mensenrechten. English translation available at business-humanrights.org/sites/default/files/documents/netherlands-national-action-plan.pdf.

  12. 12.

    See pp. 40 ff. of the Dutch NAP.

  13. 13.

    See accessfacility.org.

  14. 14.

    See pp. 32, 36 and 42 of the Dutch NAP.

  15. 15.

    Enneking et al. (2016) (report for the Dutch government on Duties of care of Dutch business enterprises with respect to international corporate social responsibility, full-text of original report available at wodc.nl/binaries/2531-volledige-rapport_tcm28-73868.pdf, English language executive summary available at wodc.nl/binaries/2531-summary_tcm28-124392.pdf).

  16. 16.

    Zorgplichten van Nederlandse ondernemingen inzake internationaal maatschappelijk verantwoord ondernemen, Kamerstukken II, 2015/16, 26 485, no. 219. Available at zoek.officielebekendmakingen.nl/kst-26485-219.html.

  17. 17.

    See pp. 25 and 26 of the Dutch NAP.

  18. 18.

    See Kamerstukken II, 2013/14, 26 485, no. 187, p. 1-2.

  19. 19.

    Voortgang sectorconvenanten, Kamerstukken II, 2015/16, 26 485, nos. 219 and 220. Available at zoek.officielebekendmakingen.nl/kst-26485-219.html and zoek.officielebekendmakingen.nl/dossier/26485/kst-26485-220.html.

  20. 20.

    See for more information and further references: IRBC Agreements, What agreements have been concluded?. Available at internationalrbc.org/agreements.

  21. 21.

    See Kamerstukken II 2017/18, 26 485, no. 253, p. 2.

  22. 22.

    See pp. 34 and 35 of the Dutch NAP.

  23. 23.

    See pp. 39 of the Dutch NAP.

  24. 24.

    See for the latest version of this Dutch Child Labour Due Diligence Law: Voorstel van wet van het lid Van Laar houdende de invoering van een zorgplicht ter voorkoming van de levering van goederen en diensten die met behulp van kinderarbeid tot stand zijn gekomen (Wet zorgplicht kinderarbeid), Kamerstukken I, 2016/17, 34 506, A. Available at zoek.officielebekendmakingen.nl/kst-34506-A.html. The bill is currently pending in the Dutch Senate.

  25. 25.

    See for the latest developments: Eerste Kamer der Staten Generaal, Initiatiefvoorstel-Kuiken Wet zorgplicht kinderarbeid. Available at eerstekamer.nl/wetsvoorstel/34506_initiatiefvoorstel_kuiken.

  26. 26.

    The following is largely derived from: Enneking et al. (2016), pp. 102–140.

  27. 27.

    Art. 2:239(5) DCC and 2:250(2) DCC.

  28. 28.

    Art. 2:8 DCC and Dutch Supreme Court, 4 April 2014, ECLI:NL:HR:2014:797 (Cancun).

  29. 29.

    See Enneking et al. (2016), pp. 103–117.

  30. 30.

    Art. 2:344 DCC ff.

  31. 31.

    See Enneking et al. (2016), pp. 117–133.

  32. 32.

    See, with further references: Enneking et al. (2016), pp. 111–113.

  33. 33.

    See Monitoring Commissie Corporate Governance Code (2016) De Nederlandse Corporate Governance Code. Available at mccg.nl/download/?id=3364.

  34. 34.

    Art. 2:391 DCC.

  35. 35.

    Besluit bekendmaking niet-financiële Informatie, Stb. 2017, 100. Available at rijksoverheid.nl/documenten/besluiten/2017/03/23/staatsblad-100-2017-besluit-bekendmaking-niet-financiele-informatie.

  36. 36.

    Art. 2:139 and 2:249 DCC.

  37. 37.

    Art. 2:447 DCC ff.

  38. 38.

    Art. 1(4) WED.

  39. 39.

    See also Enneking et al. (2016), p. 126.

  40. 40.

    In more detail: Enneking et al. (2016), pp. 140–222 and 222–256, respectively.

  41. 41.

    For further detail and a discussion of relevant case law, see Enneking et al. (2016), pp. 85–258.

  42. 42.

    For a more detailed discussion including references to case law that is indirectly relevant, see Enneking et al. (2016), pp. 102–140.

  43. 43.

    Amsterdam Court of Appeals (Enterprise Division), 21 June 1979, NJ 1980, 71.

  44. 44.

    See e.g. Vytopil (2015), pp. 122–126.

  45. 45.

    Vytopil (2015), pp. 123, 130, 135 and 136. See for the international normative framework ILO-conventions 29, 105, 138 and 182.

  46. 46.

    Vytopil (2015), p. 130.

  47. 47.

    Beckers (2014), pp. 41 ff; Vytopil (2015), pp. 121 ff, who focusses on labor related rights. See on the way this issue is addressed in supply chains in Myanmar: Theuws and Overeem (2017) The Myanmar Dilemma, Can the garment industry deliver decent jobs for workers in Myanmar?, pp. 93–115, Available at somo.nl/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/170731-The-Myanmar-Dilemma-update-web-1.pdf.

  48. 48.

    Vytopil (2015), pp. 123–124, 129 and 135–138. Cf. Beckers (2014), pp. 50–71, who also discusses whether a public statement may be relevant in connection with the interpretation of a contract or become binding through other avenues.

  49. 49.

    Beckers (2014), pp. 41–43; Vytopil (2015), pp. 123, 129, 135–137. Sometimes a supplier has to confirm in writing the receipt of the code of conduct. See Vytopil (2015), p. 137. Companies also refer to codes of conduct developed by third parties (such as NGOs) or to supporting documents such as ILO or OECD guidance (which raises the question whether these documents become binding on the supplier). See Vytopil (2015), pp. 124, 136–137.

  50. 50.

    Vytopil (2015), pp. 125–126, 132 and 138. However, third party rights are explicitly rejected in other contracts. See Vytopil (2015), p. 139.

  51. 51.

    See e.g. Vytopil (2015), p. 130, 132 and 139. Cf. Rees (2016) Business, Human Rights and the Sustainable Development Goals: Forging a Coherent Vision and Strategy, p. 56, available at shiftproject.org/resources/publications/business-human-rights-sustainable-development-coherent-strategy/.

  52. 52.

    Beckers (2014), pp. 45–50.

  53. 53.

    Vytopil (2015), pp. 123–124, 129–130, 136–137.

  54. 54.

    Vytopil (2015), pp. 128, 135 and 139.

  55. 55.

    Rees (2016) Business, Human Rights and the Sustainable Development Goals: Forging a Coherent Vision and Strategy, pp. 74 and 81. Available at shiftproject.org/resources/publications/business-human-rights-sustainable-development-coherent-strategy/.

  56. 56.

    Overall 77% of these companies use a contractual mechanism. In the extractive industry this is even 100% and in the energy sector 83%. See Norton Rose Fulbright (2015) Business and Human Rights Due Diligence Project, p. 7. Available at nortonrosefulbright.com/knowledge/publications/126908/business-and-human-rights-due-diligence-project.

  57. 57.

    Beckers (2014), pp. 41 ff.; Vytopil (2015), pp. 117 ff.

  58. 58.

    See paragraph 1.1 of the Dutch Garment Agreement. Available at internationalrbc.org/agreements.

  59. 59.

    See p. 27 of the Dutch NAP.

  60. 60.

    See RSPO, How RSPO certification works. Available at rspo.org/certification/how-rspo-certification-works. Accessed 13 Nov 2018; RSPO, RSPO certification systems. Available at rspo.org/key-documents/certification/rspo-certification-systems. Accessed 13 Nov 2018; UTZ, Certification. Available at utz.org/what-we-offer/certification.

  61. 61.

    The following is largely derived from: Enneking et al. (2016), pp. 162–196.

  62. 62.

    Art. 6:162(2) DCC.

  63. 63.

    In more detail: Enneking et al. (2016), pp. 229–252.

  64. 64.

    See generally the seminal Kelderluik case: Dutch Supreme Court, 5 November 1965, NJ 1966/136.

  65. 65.

    See eur.nl/en/news/who-do-you-think-really-pays-10-euro-t-shirt. See also, in more detail and with further references to case law: Enneking (2012), pp. 229–238.

  66. 66.

    In more detail: Enneking (2012), pp. 256–265.

  67. 67.

    In more detail: Enneking et al. (2016), pp. 162–193; Enneking (2012), pp. 229–252.

  68. 68.

    In more detail: Schaap (2017, 2019).

  69. 69.

    The Dutch provision on mandatory overriding rules is laid down in art. 10:7 DCC.

  70. 70.

    See, with further references to case law: Vonken (2013), pp. 420–431.

  71. 71.

    The Dutch public policy exception (with respect to applicable law) is laid down in art. 10:6 DCC.

  72. 72.

    Dutch Supreme Court, 16 December 1983, ECLI:NL:HR:1983:AG4715 (Saudi Independence).

  73. 73.

    This is a mechanism which resembles arbitration but generally includes less formal procedural rules. It is referred to in art. 7:904 of the Dutch Civil Code.

  74. 74.

    See section 1.3 of the Dutch Agreement on Responsible Business Conduct in the Textile Sector and, for the procedural rules: IRBC Agreements (2017) Complaints and disputes. Available at internationalrbc.org/garments-textile/agreement/method/complaints.

  75. 75.

    See section 1.3 of the agreement. See, for the procedural rules: IRBC Agreements (2017) Complaints and disputes. Available at internationalrbc.org/garments-textile/agreement/method/complaints?sc_lang=en.

  76. 76.

    See The Hague Institute for Global Justice (2017) Business and Human Rights International Arbitration Project launched. Available at l4bb.org/news/ProjectPressRelease1711.pdf.

  77. 77.

    See National Contact Point OECD Guidelines (2017) Final statement specific instance former employees Bralima vs. Bralima and Heineken. Available at oecdguidelines.nl/documents/publication/2017/08/18/final-statement-notification-bralima-vs-heineken.

  78. 78.

    See College voor de Rechten van de Mens, Mission and ambition. Available at mensenrechten.nl/mission-and-ambition.

  79. 79.

    In more detail and with further references to case law: Enneking (2012), pp. 210–211.

  80. 80.

    The following is largely derived from: Enneking (2019), Enneking et al. (2016), pp. 141–152.

  81. 81.

    Art. 7(1) Dutch Code of Civil Procedure.

  82. 82.

    See, for example: Akpan et al. v Royal Dutch Shell and Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria, The Hague District Court 24 February 2010, ECLI:NL:RBSGR:2010:BM1469, par. 3.1–3.8.

  83. 83.

    See, for example: Akpan et al. v Royal Dutch Shell and Shell Petroleum and Development Company of Nigeria, The Hague Court of Appeal, 18 December 2015 (hereinafter: Akpan v Shell 2015), ECLI:NL:GHDHA:22015:3587.

  84. 84.

    See, for example: Akpan v Shell 2015, ECLI:NL:GHDHA:22015:3587, par. 2.2. In more detail: Enneking (2017, 2019).

  85. 85.

    See, with further references to case law: Vonken (2013), pp. 350–354.

  86. 86.

    See for instance Dutch Supreme Court, 15 April 1994, ECLI:NL:HR:1994:ZC1341 (Braga de Oliveira/Mooijman), involving a test against art. 8 ECHR.

  87. 87.

    See, with further references to case law: Vonken (2013), pp. 353–354.

  88. 88.

    Compare, for instance: Kramer and Verhagen (2015), pp. 477–478; Strikwerda (2015), pp. 173–174; Schaafsma (2014), Van Hoek (2013), pp. 7–9; Van der Kruk (2009).

  89. 89.

    The following is largely derived from Enneking et al. (2016), pp. 158–159.

  90. 90.

    Art. 431(1) jo. Art. 985 Dutch Code of Civil Procedure.

  91. 91.

    Art. 431(2) Dutch Code of Civil Procedure.

  92. 92.

    See, for instance: Dutch Supreme Court, 26 September 2014, ECLI:NL:HR:2014:2838. See, in more detail: Ten Wolde et al. (2017) Tenuitvoerlegging van buitenlandse civielrechtelijke vonnissen binnen Nederland buiten verdrag en verordening (art. 431 Rv.), WODC report no. 2731, available at wodc.nl/binaries/2731_Volledige_Tekst_tcm28-298879.pdf, English language summary available at wodc.nl/binaries/2731_Summary_tcm28-298880.pdf.

  93. 93.

    In more detail: Strikwerda (2015), pp. 285–295.

  94. 94.

    In more detail: Ten Wolde et al. (2017) Tenuitvoerlegging van buitenlandse civielrechtelijke vonnissen binnen Nederland buiten verdrag en verordening (art. 431 Rv.), WODC report no. 2731, available at wodc.nl/binaries/2731_Volledige_Tekst_tcm28-298879.pdf. English language summary available at wodc.nl/binaries/2731_Summary_tcm28-298880.pdf.

  95. 95.

    See, for instance: The Hague Court of Appeal, 27 October 1996, Nederlands Internationaal Privaatrecht 1997, 244.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Erasmus School of Law, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

    Liesbeth F. H. Enneking & Martijn W. Scheltema

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  1. Liesbeth F. H. Enneking
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Correspondence to Martijn W. Scheltema .

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  1. Université Panthéon-Assas Paris II, Paris, France

    Catherine Kessedjian

  2. School of Law, University of Monterrey, Monterrey, Mexico

    Humberto Cantú Rivera

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Enneking, L.F.H., Scheltema, M.W. (2020). The Netherlands. In: Kessedjian, C., Cantú Rivera, H. (eds) Private International Law Aspects of Corporate Social Responsibility. Ius Comparatum - Global Studies in Comparative Law, vol 42. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-35187-8_16

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