Overview

• On June 17, the Paris Court of Appeal confirmed that La Poste’s 2021 vigilance plan failed to meet legal standards due to its imprecision.
• Judges found the plan’s risk mapping too general to identify serious human rights and environmental threats across its operations and subcontractors.
• Enforced for the first time, France’s 2017 duty of vigilance law obliges large companies to publish detailed plans to prevent rights abuses and environmental damage.
• La Poste is the only company to be condemned under the statute and must revise its plan without facing a financial penalty.
• The decision follows an EU directive on corporate vigilance adopted in April 2024 that has been challenged by leaders including Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz.