India

Sourcing risk, regulatory exposure and audit intelligence for India-origin supply chains.

Forced & child labour

Cottonseed, garments, rice, and stones listed on ILAB 2024 TVPRA. Child labour in agriculture documented. Improving in formal export manufacturing.

Worker rights & FOA

Freedom of association challenges flagged in ILAB 2024. Collective bargaining rights inconsistently protected across states.

OHS & audit transparency

Significant variation in OHS standards by state and sector. Audit coverage improving in export-facing factories. Informal economy large.

Food & product safety

FSSAI competent authority functional but with capacity gaps. Recurring RASFF alerts for spices, herbs, and rice. Pesticide residue issues documented.

Environmental & regulatory

EUDR low-risk classification (May 2025). No active IUU card. Some CITES compliance issues in timber and wildlife trade.

Governance & anti-corruption

TI CPI 2024: 38/100. Significant corruption risk in customs, state-level enforcement, and regulatory approvals.

Tariff & preferential access

Standard EU GSP beneficiary. Reduced rates on most categories. EU-India FTA negotiations ongoing, not yet in force.

Non-tariff barriers

Multiple food categories under enhanced controls per Regulation 2019/1793. Complex import licensing environment. No sanctions.

Supply chain traceability

Large informal economy in agriculture and textiles. Multi-tier visibility limited. Growing EcoVadis coverage in export-facing sectors.

Labour & Social Risk

Bonded labour: Bonded labour (debt bondage) persists in brick kilns, agriculture, stone quarries, and domestic work. The Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act 1976 is in force but enforcement is uneven.
Informal economy: Over 80% of India's workforce is in informal employment. Informal workers — particularly in agriculture, construction, and home-based manufacturing — are largely outside social compliance audit scope.
Sectors at risk: Garments, textiles, seafood processing, leather, brassware, brick kilns, cotton farming.
ILO conventions: India has ratified ILO C029 and C105 (forced labour conventions) and C138 and C182 (child labour conventions). C087 (Freedom of Association) has not been ratified.
ILAB status: Bricks, cotton, garments, rice, sugarcane, tobacco, and several other goods listed on US Department of Labor List of Goods Produced by Child or Forced Labor.

EU Regulatory Exposure

GSP status: India benefits from EU standard GSP. India-EU Free Trade Agreement negotiations restarted in 2022; no agreement in force.
Food safety controls: Indian food and feed exports subject to EU official controls under Regulation (EU) 2019/1793. Specific products — including certain spices, basmati rice, and seafood — have been subject to elevated control frequencies.
EUDR exposure: Limited direct EUDR exposure. India produces some natural rubber and soya, but is not a major EUDR commodity exporter. Indirect exposure via cotton (not EUDR-regulated).
Pesticide residues: India accounts for a significant share of EU RASFF notifications for pesticide residues in spices, herbs, and sesame. Enhanced controls have been applied periodically.
CSDDD implication: Companies sourcing garments, textiles, or food ingredients from India will need to conduct value chain due diligence under CSDDD from 2027, with particular attention to informal sub-tier suppliers.

Logistics & Supply Chain

Primary export corridor: Arabian Sea → Gulf of Aden → Red Sea → Suez Canal → EU ports
Key transit chokepoints: Bab-el-Mandeb / Red Sea, Suez Canal
Main EU destination ports: Rotterdam, Hamburg, Antwerp, Felixstowe
Typical transit time: 20–26 days to Northwest Europe
Scope 3 relevance: Maritime freight from India to Northwest Europe generates approximately 0.6–0.9 kg CO₂e per kg of cargo (sea freight estimate, shorter routing than Southeast Asia)