How Court Enforcement Is Reshaping HRDD in the Italian Fashion Sector

Abstract This piece explores how judicial enforcement is reshaping Human Rights Due Diligence (HRDD) in the Italian fashion sector, offering a rare empirical perspective on the operationalization of corporate responsibility. Recently, Italian courts have imposed judicial administration on major fashion brands in response to labour exploitation perpetrated by their suppliers, highlighting the accountability of lead firms for structural governance failures. While global debates on business and human rights (BHR) have largely focused on risk-based, ex ante compliance in transnational supply chains, Italy has adopted a ‘smart mix of measures’: corporate ‘criminal’ liability with a due diligence defence complemented by court-ordered judicial administrations. These interventions compel brands to translate abstract HRDD obligations into concrete operational and organizational changes, addressing structural drivers of exploitation, such as fragmented subcontracting, precarious migrant employment and pressures from aggressive commercial practices. At the same time, judicial measures and HRDD reforms remain largely compliance-driven, potentially leaving the most vulnerable workers under-protected. By illustrating the need for inclusion-focused narratives and rights-holder-centred approaches, this piece offers both reflection and practical guidance for companies navigating emerging EU sustainability regulations. More broadly, it contributes to the discussion on bridging formal corporate compliance with substantive human rights protection that translates into concrete corporate ethical behaviours.