Forced Labour Regulation: A Step Forward in the Pursuit of a More Sustainable World?

After the adoption of the European Green Deal various instruments have been put forward with the objective of promoting sustainability. Most of these instruments pursue the integration of environmental considerations in EU law and policy making, while respect for human rights is slowly entering the agenda as part of due diligence instruments. Moreover, relevant scholarly work has mainly focused on the interaction of the environment and the economy as key pillars of sustainability. The social pillar of sustainability has appeared more marginally in these scholarly debates. This article brings social sustainability to the centre and evaluates whether the recently adopted Forced Labour Regulation is a step further in the EU pursuit of a more sustainable world. To do so, the article argues that human dignity, the promotion of social justice and respect for participation are the core of the normative demands inherent social sustainability. Following, it presents the Forced Labour Regulation, its key provisions and the broader international and European context against which the instrument was adopted. Finally, the article assesses the Regulation in light of each of the normative demands inherent in social sustainability. While the instrument seems to fare well in relation to a discursive appeal to human rights as well as respect for participation, more critical points are made in relation to the protection of human dignity and the pursuit of social justice. Overall, it is unclear whether the EU can indeed pursue a more sustainable world when all it delivers is a cleaner internal market.