"Corporate accountability: Switzerland must catch up", 2 April 2026

Today, the Swiss government published a counter-proposal to the new Responsible Business Initiative. The Swiss Coalition for Corporate Justice will now examine the proposal in detail. It is essential that the law also holds high-risk Swiss commodity companies accountable.

Following the entry into force of the revised EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) in March 2026, almost all of Europe will have corporate accountability rules in place by 2028 – except for Switzerland. Switzerland has to catch up and introduce effective rules for multinational companies as well, because the country is a major hub for large corporations, and scandals involving companies headquartered in Switzerland regularly make the headlines...

The new Responsible Business Initiative (RBI) was launched in January 2025 and the necessary signatures were collected by thousands of volunteers in record time. The initiative is backed by a broad committee of politicians from across the political spectrum, business leaders and representatives of civil society. Today, the Federal Council (the Swiss government) published a counter-proposal, which is intended to align with EU rules. Specifically, it proposes that companies with more than 5’000 employees and a turnover of CHF 1.5 billion must comply with due diligence obligations to protect human rights and the environment. Businesses, political parties, civil society and the academic community can now participate in the three-month public consultation process.

The Swiss Coalition for Corporate Justice (SCCJ) will now examine the Federal Council’s proposal in detail and participate in the consultation process...