World-Leading in Human Rights Due Diligence: New SAQ Module Delivers Actionable Insights Beyond Tier 1 to Drive Real Change and Demonstrable Improvements

In today’s interconnected economy, supply chains go deeper beyond your tier 1 suppliers. They often reach into multiple countries, sectors, and layers of subcontracting – and with that complexity comes risk.

For Australian businesses, those risks aren’t just ethical concerns – they’re regulatory and reputational ones. The Commonwealth Modern Slavery Act 2018, the NSW Anti-Slavery Commissioner’s guidance, and evolving global standards like the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) all require businesses to have visibility deeper into their supply chains.

But here’s the challenge:
Organisations can have strong oversight of their direct suppliers, only to discover that their biggest human rights risks lie two or three tiers into their supply chain and chasing data through complex supply chains can feel like running a marathon in quicksand.

Intertek has seen this challenge all too frequently and has developed the Human Rights Due Diligence (HRDD) Self-Assessment Module integrated into our supply chain risk management platform, Inlight™, to enable deeper insights into your supply chain early in your due diligence process.

Seeing Beyond Tier 1

Our HRDD Self-Assessment combining Intertek’s 30+ Years in experience in helping organisations assess social responsibility supply chain risk with the OECD Guidelines for responsible business and Human Rights to help organisations:

• Understand how suppliers manage human rights due diligence within their own operations and further into their supply chains.
• Gain visibility of tier 2 and beyond – without demanding excessive disclosure whilst maintaining commercial confidentiality.
• Identify priority areas for action based on verified, risk-based scoring rather than guesswork.

Whether you’re working with traders, importers, wholesalers, distributors, or large enterprises with complex supply chains, this module provides a structured, evidence-based way to assess and compare supplier maturity in their due diligence approach to managing human rights risks in their supply chain beyond the traditional assessment for human rights practices in their direct operations alone.

What It Covers

Suppliers complete an online self-assessment – supported by clear guidance, local-language support, and the ability to upload evidence – covering:

• Human Rights Policies & Procedures – from commitments to grievance mechanisms.
• Supply Chain Mapping – insight into where suppliers operate and who they source from.
• Risk Assessment – how suppliers identify, evaluate, and respond to risks.
• Codes of Conduct & Monitoring – how expectations are communicated and enforced.
• Supplier Evaluation, Remediation & Training – how suppliers address issues and build capacity.

Every submission is verified by APSCA-certified compliance experts, ensuring the results are more than just self-reported optimism.

Why It Matters for Australian Businesses

1. Regulatory Compliance – The Modern Slavery Act and other emerging global frameworks require organisations to actively demonstrate a commitment to effective human rights due diligence in their supply chain. This tool makes that achievable and defensible.
2. Risk Reduction – Early identification of risks means fewer costly surprises, from reputational damage to disrupted supply lines.
3. Stakeholder Confidence – Customers, investors, and regulators increasingly expect clear, verified data on how you manage human rights risks.
4. Efficient Prioritisation – By identifying and focusing on high- and critical-risk suppliers first, businesses can save time and resources while having the biggest impact.

Built for Practical Impact

With risk rated scoring, supplier benchmarking, and dashboard-driven insights, the HRDD module helps you turn data into action. It promotes and enables continual improvement through online corrective action planning moving beyond compliance and into genuine risk management.

As one element of the supply chain risk management process in the Inlight™ platform, you can easily integrate it into broader supplier risk management programs, enabling a seamless risk mitigation process when higher risks are identified.

Taking the Next Step

Australian businesses that want to lead in responsible sourcing need visibility beyond their tier 1 supply chain. The HRDD Self-Assessment Module makes it possible to gain early insights to act faster and build supply chains that are both resilient and responsible.