[Spring academy] Digitalising sustainability due diligence - Digital tools and global value chain regulations

This innovative four-day training programme combines theory and practice, featuring lectures by academics and workshops led by industry experts. You will gain a deep understanding of key technological solutions for sustainable due diligence, empowering you to drive responsible business practices.

A front-runner academy on sustainability due diligence

Since 2019, the Asser Institute has offered a week-long academy on the theory and practice of sustainability due diligence as a master key to responsible business conduct. The academy features expert lectures from academics in the field and practical sessions led by experienced practitioners from both the private and public sectors.

Over the past five editions, we have trained more than 100 participants from all around the world, who are contributing in the public and private sectors to the implementation of the sustainability due diligence revolution.

In 2024, we offered a newly developed edition of the spring academy dedicated to the technologies of sustainability due diligence. We are building on this experience to launch the DigiChain Academy in 2025 with the aim of training a new generation of practitioners and researchers to navigate the digitalisation of transnational value chain governance while considering human rights and environmental concerns.

Ahead of the curve: exploring the digital turn in sustainability due diligence

As large European companies are increasingly subjected to a legal mandate to conduct sustainability due diligence to ensure that their activities are not linked to adverse human rights or environmental impacts, the practical modalities of this new form of transnational governance become increasingly important. In recent years, many companies have developed and integrated digital technologies, such as artificial intelligence, data mining, blockchain, or digital survey tools, to implement a sustainability due diligence process.

Engaging at the forefront of developments in big data technologies and sustainability due diligence, the Asser Institute released a 2023 report commissioned by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).

In 2024, the academic coordinators of the spring academy, Dr Antoine Duval and Dr Klaas Eller, initiated the interdisciplinary DigiChain project with the support of the University of Amsterdam and the Asser Institute. The project brings together researchers from different UvA faculties to explore the digital turn in sustainability due diligence.

Building on our research in this area, the 2025 spring academy will gather leading academic thinkers and cutting-edge technological entrepreneurs to equip our participants with the necessary theoretical and practical skills to navigate and critically engage with the growing practical role of digital technologies in the implementation of sustainability due diligence and the regulation of global value chains. Concretely, the training will blend theory and practice through a combination of lectures delivered by academics and workshops with practitioners to explain the function of specific technological solutions in the context of the due diligence process.

The four days of the spring academy will be respectively focused on the following issues:

• Day 1: General theory of sustainability due diligence and why the process is prone to relying on digital tools as a fundamental governance technology.
  Together with tech developers and industry experts, we will explore the digital tools available for mapping supply and value chains, as well as tracking commodities and products throughout their transnational journey.
  
  
• Day 2: The role of mapping and tracing in sustainability due diligence.
  We will explore with tech developers and industry experts the digital tools available to map supply/value chains and to track commodities and products throughout their transnational journey. How crucial will digital tools be to map the due diligence territory of a corporation?
  
  
• Day 3: The digitalisation of the risk identification and evaluation process.
  We will engage with insiders from the tech industry about the digital tools available to identify and assess risks in specific value chains. Will AI-driven tools enable us to flag human rights or environmental risks by analysing social media posts? Can machine learning coupled with satellite imagery enable the identification and mitigation of deforestation?
  
  
• Day 4: The role of digital technology in relation to stakeholders.
  With the help of developers and academics, we will explore the emerging digital tools being used to engage with workers and communities at a distance. Will stakeholders be consulted digitally? Under which conditions can digital consultations be meaningful?

View the full programme

You have the flexibility to either enrol in the entire course (Regular fee: €1495) or choose specific training days. Individual training days are priced at a discounted rate of €495 and can be invoiced.

Who should attend?
This intensive course is designed for professionals, researchers, and anyone interested in leveraging digitalisation to address global challenges ethically and sustainably.

Scholarships
We invite master's students and PhD candidates with a strong passion for Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG), Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), and sustainable business ethics to apply for one of five scholarships for the Spring academy 2025. The deadline for application is 14 March 2025. Find information here.

Terms and conditions
Please read the terms and conditions before registering. If you have any questions about the training programme, please send us an email at educationtraining@asser.nl. We will try to respond within two business days.

Coordinators