The NOVA Knowledge Centre for Business, Human Rights and the Environment
The NOVA Knowledge Centre for Business, Human Rights and the Environment (NOVA BHRE) is an innovative and multidisciplinary academic centre within the Nova School of Law. It was founded by its current director Claire Bright, and is supported by a team composed of experts both from NOVA School of Law and NOVA School of Business & Economics (NOVA SBE) as well as external experts from all around the world.
The main goal of the NOVA BHRE is to foster responsible business conduct that upholds respect for human rights, decent work and environmental standards throughout their entire global value chains, thereby also advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The centre is focused on applied academic work, which puts the latest academic research directly into practice, and clarifies the role of law in corporate sustainability.
News
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NOVA BHRE Annual Report 2025
Upcoming events, activities, publications and blog posts.
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NOVA BHRE | 2025 in Highlights
Upcoming events, activities, publications and blog posts.
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NOVA BHRE Newsletter December 2025
Upcoming events, activities, publications and blog posts.
Our latest blog post
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Corporate Power, Pesticides and Human Rights Impacts in Brazil
In July of last year, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Michael Fakhri, released his report ‘Corporate Power and Human Rights in Food Systems’. The report underscores a stark reality: “Corporate power in food systems is so concentrated that a relatively small group of people shape what is grown, how it is grown, labour conditions, prices and food choices in a way that serves the ultimate goal of profit maximization and not the public good” (A/80/213, 21 July 2025).