ABSTRACT
The preceding chapters have dealt with contract law issues related to responsible supply chain management. This chapter examines to what extent tort law can be employed to hold chain leaders liable for the acts and omissions of their suppliers. More specifically, it examines to what extent an employee of a supplier or a third party, having incurred environmental harm, may sue the chain leader for negligence (direct liability) or according to the rules on vicarious liability (indirect liability). It is shown that, in general, it may be more difficult to succeed with claims of environmental damage than claims of work injuries, due to the fear of creating an “indeterminate liability”.
