INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS PAGES to promote responsible business con- duct. For example, other tools include trade policies and trade arrangements, export credits and direct lending, na- tional and multinational development finance institutions, government- backed multi-stakeholder initiatives and public procurement. A growing number of governments have introduced RBC due diligence legislation. Recent years have witnessed a sig- nificant increase in RBC due diligence legislation. From 2010 to 2019, legis- lation has been passed in California (USA), in the European Union, in the United Kingdom, in France, in the Neth- erlands and in Australia and is currently being considered in several countries. Current RBC due diligence legislation can generally be categorised by dis- closure vs. conduct requirements, is- sue-specific vs. broadly focused on BRC and type of enforcement. Disclosure vs. duty of conduct Broadly, due diligence legislation can be categorised as follows: those re- lated to the mandatory disclosure and transparency of information and those relating to mandatory due diligence and other conduct requirements.Emerging Circular Economy Policy While governments globally have been regulating the inputs, processes and products to mitigate the environmental impacts of the apparel sector for years, emerging policies are now focusing on establishing circularity in the sector. While such policies are distinct from due diligence legislation to date, they nonetheless touch on the lifecycle of a product and therefore may have implications on company due diligence. Examples of emerging policies in- clude the following: -In December 2019 the European Commission launched its Green Deal to drive towards a climate neutral EU by 2050. The Roadmap and Action Plan for the Green Deal includes a “Circular Economy Action Plan, in- cluding a sustainable products initiative and particular focus on resource intensive sectors such as textiles, construction, electronics and plastics”to be developed in 2020. -In December 2019, France passed an anti-waste law that bans the de- struction of non-food goods. This law makes the practice of discarding or incinerating unsold clothing items illegal as of late 2021 or 2023 depend- ing on the sector. The law was passed within the framework of France’s Roadmap for the Circular Economy, through which France seeks to re- duce the amount of non-hazardous waste sent to landfills by fifty-percent by 2025. -In 2016, the Netherlands launched a Government-wide programme for a Circular Dutch Economy by 2050.5 The Implementation programme in- cludes a plan to achieve “a significant closed-loop supply of textiles by 2030.” The Netherlands is also establishing a textile policy programme and a Denim Deal alongside research into the possibilities of introducing new business models to counter ‘fast fashion.’The main distinction being that disclo- sure law does not include a require- ment to take any affirmative steps in addressing RBC impacts. Transparency and disclosure legisla- tion requires companies to disclose risks they identify and whether they are taking or have taken any action to ad- dress those risks. To comply with this type of legislation, companies may have to follow certain standards and good practice when disclosing risks, but are not required to necessarily change their conduct, for example by addressing those risks. The idea be- hind this legislation is that it allows the market, including investors, consum- ers and civil society, to better assess companies. Mandatory due diligence legislation and other conduct requirements requirecompanies to adhere to new forms of conduct and market practice, normally to prevent or mitigate RBC impacts NCM-MARCH 2020 44and also to report on them. Examples of mandatory due diligence legislation include the French Duty of Vigilance