A round table discussion “Focus on global supply chains – case studies from the Brazilian Amazon and Cerrado” at the offices of Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) took place on November 14, 2020, together with Caritas International. The event was held in response to a delegation trip by representatives of traditional communities affected by the impacts of global supply chains in Brazil, as well as a new DUH report on possible human rights violations in the supply chains of the German meat industry. The event, which was attended by representatives from politics, science and business, as well as Brazilian and German civil society, focused on two case studies of the specific impacts of global supply chains on traditional communities and the environment in northern Brazil.

Prof. Dr. Lena Partzsch discussed options for action and solutions with Manuel Gava (Member of the German parliament, deputy chairman of the German-Brazilian parliamentary group, SPD), Ligia Campos (Caritas Brazil), lawyer Simon Simanovski (simanovski – Kanzlei für faires Wirtschaften) and Peer Cyriacks (head of sustainable land use and international nature conservation, DUH). A “strategic optimism” was shared. The Supply Chain Act offers new opportunities for civil society and trade unions to enforce rights against companies. However, its application remains difficult and its actual impact remains to be seen.