SASI-Lunchbreak: Making Due Diligence Work in Practice
What does it take to make implementation work in practice?
Dear friends of the Sustainable Agricultural Supply Chains Initiative (SASI),
After a short break , the SASI Lunchbreak returns refreshed and slightly refurbished. We strive for more interaction, joint conversations, and we adapt our rhythm: the Lunchbreak will now be held on the first Thursday of every other month from 13.00 to 14.00 p.m. CET. While adjusting the concept, we keep the core – offering practical insights into the implementation of due diligence.
To mark the start, we would like to warmly invite you to the next SASI Lunchbreak ‘Making Due Diligence Work in Practice’ on 7th May 2026, from 13.00 to 14.00 p.m. CET.
As expectations around human rights and environmental due diligence continue to grow, many companies have moved from commitment to formal strategy. Yet, the real challenge lies in implementation: embedding due diligence into everyday decisions, processes and corporate culture.
This transition often falls short, hence the key question is:
What does it take to make implementation work in practice?
We are pleased to welcome Dr. Dorothée Baumann-Pauly, Director and Dr. Berit Knaak, Senior Research Assistant at the Geneva Center for Business and Human Rights (GCBHR) and Lena Schweighöfer, Head of Sustainable Coffee at Tchibo.
By bringing together perspectives from business and academia, this Lunchbreak explores how companies can move from ambition to action, where typical friction points arise, and which approaches prove effective in real-world settings. Against the backdrop of ongoing economic pressures in Europe, we will also reflect on the trade-offs companies face and the implications for future regulatory and business practice.
Prof. Dr. Dorothée Baumann-Pauly is a Professor at the University of Geneva’s School of Economics and Management and the founder and director of the Geneva Center for Business and Human Rights. Since 2013, she also serves as the Research Director at the NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights. In these roles, Dorothée works with companies and diverse stakeholders to advance human rights in corporate practice. Dorothée has over two decades of experience working on human rights in global supply chains in different sectors (including garments, finance, and mining) in different geographies.
Dr. Berit Knaak is a Senior Research Associate at the Geneva Center for Business and Human Rights at the University of Geneva’s School of Economics and Management. In her work, Berit focuses on resilient supply chains and responsible sourcing, studying innovative business models and multistakeholder approaches to address structural human rights issues. She has worked on diverse industries and issues, including agricultural supply chains, sustainable finance, child labor and fair recruitment of migrant workers.
Lena Schweighöfer is Head of Sustainable Coffee at Tchibo. In this role, she oversees the Tchibo coffee program “Coffee2Stay” which aims to create long-term prospects for coffee farmers and promote sustainable farming practices. In her previous role, in addition to project work in Kenya and Colombia, her focus was the implementation of HRDD and the EUDR.
For questions and further information, please do not hesitate to contact us at sasi@giz.de.
Your SASI-Team
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