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Stuttgart (dpa) - The car manufacturer Daimler considers different national rules in the supply chain law to be less effective.
«We are a global company.
We depend on such laws being made globally, ”said Renata Jungo Brüngger, the German press agency's executive responsible for integrity and law.
«We are fundamentally behind a supply chain law that fulfills three conditions: It must have an effect on site and serve the cause and the people.
It must be feasible for the company.
And it shouldn't create any competitive disadvantages, ”said Jungo Brüngger.
However, one can definitely define appropriate measures that companies have to comply with, for example by setting requirements for transparency or certification standards.
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The planned law on compliance with human rights standards in supply chains is controversial in the black-red coalition in the federal government.
Labor Minister Hubertus Heil (SPD) and Development Minister Gerd Müller (CSU) want larger companies to be responsible for ensuring that minimum social and ecological standards are observed along the global supply chain.
Economics Minister Peter Altmaier (CDU) fears that the economy will be too burdensome.
"If a supply chain law is designed in such a way that we cannot implement it at all because a lot is the responsibility of third parties, then we cannot create better conditions on site," said Jungo Brüngger.
“The consequence can then be that many companies withdraw from risk areas.
That wouldn't have achieved anything. "
Daimler takes the position: empowerment before withdrawal.
The car manufacturer has imposed standards on itself and its suppliers or has joined appropriate initiatives - for example in the extraction of cobalt, a raw material that is extremely important for electromobility.
Daimler itself admits that there is not yet a single cobalt mine in the world that is certified according to the standard that has now been set.
But it is not about doing it overnight, but rather defining an ideal that you want to achieve, said Jungo Brüngger.
The processes required for this are now being worked on.
It is estimated that it will take five years to reach the level that one wants to achieve.
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On the legislative side, a lot is currently running in parallel, said Jungo Brüngger.
The EU is working on it, in the United Kingdom there are already corresponding requirements, also in France and the Netherlands.
“They all look different.
And that is exactly what makes it very difficult for companies to implement everything, ”she emphasized.
They couldn't do it alone anyway, there had to be close cooperation with politics, non-governmental organizations and others.
And of course that is also a cost factor.
“You don't get sustainability for free,” said Jungo Brüngger.
“We will have to do our part, the suppliers will have their share.
And I do believe that the customer is also willing to pay something for it. "
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 201207-99-599980 / 2