Research hub on the uptake and impact of environmental and social due diligence

This database brings together academic and policy research assessing the impact of corporate practices and government policies related to environmental and social due diligence in global supply chains.

It compiles studies that examine whether due diligence practices and related policy measures – such as due diligence conduct or disclosure requirements or product and market-based measures – are associated with measurable outcomes for the environment, society and the economy.

Each entry provides structured information on the scope of the study, its findings and the methods used, enabling users to identify and explore relevant studies. It also includes a link to the original publication.

The database includes studies that:

• Explicitly examine the impacts of due diligence practices or policies, as defined in the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Business Conduct
• Meet basic transparency criteria (e.g. identifiable authorship, publication source and year)
• Are available in at least one official OECD language (English and French)
• Are published in peer-reviewed academic journals, by governments or by international organisations

You can explore the database using key words and filters to identify studies relevant to your needs.

1. Filter by content:

• The type of intervention (due diligence practices vs. policies)
• The type of outcome assessed (e.g. environmental, social, economic)
• The direction of the study’s main findings (positive, negative, mixed or no effect)¹

2. Filter by year of publication

3. Filter by methodology:

• Quantitative or qualitative methods
• Specific types of data (e.g. surveys, interviews, audit data, company disclosures)

4. Search directly:
Enter key words into the search bar to find studies by title, author, institution or topic.

5. View study details:
Click on a study title to access a summarised description and key findings.

Use the interactive tool below to browse the research database and identify studies relevant to your work.

Inclusion in this database does not constitute an assessment of the quality or robustness of individual studies, nor does it imply endorsement by the OECD or alignment of the specific due diligence practices and policies in this database with relevant OECD standards. The database is not exhaustive and is intended to evolve over time.

The content of this database includes summaries and classifications prepared by analysts to help users navigate the evidence; these are indicative and do not replace the original publications. Users should consult the original publication to verify and critically assess any information before relying on it.

The database includes references to and summaries of third-party publications. All intellectual property rights in such publications remain with their respective owners, and any use of such material remains subject to the terms set by those owners.

We welcome substantiated feedback and corrections via this form. 

We are always looking to grow the database with relevant new research. Please contact us via this form or by contacting rbc@oecd.org  to share relevant studies.