Binding international regulations rather than voluntary measures are essential for promoting human rights and protecting the environment. The contributors examine how effective existing regulations and new rules are in meeting these goals. The recently proposed EU supply chain legislation (Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive – CSDDD) potentially represents a paradigmatic shift in international economic governance structures and is intended to defend human rights. This special issue contextualises and critically assesses the European due diligence legislation and similar legal instruments. Its emancipatory potential as well as possible downsides are analysed. The contributors deal with the question of how these new developments can be characterised. Are these changes progressive in that they genuinely strengthen workers globally, or do they legitimise and stabilise the existing neoliberal global economy? Interestingly, the authors come to different conclusions on these important questions.