this autumn, the Swiss will have to take a historic and international decision when taking a position for or against the Federal People’s Initiative ‘Responsible Business — to Protect People and the Environment’. This decision could disrupt an entire economic system, influencing the way thousands of sub-contractors act to improve the lives of millions of victims around the world in the area of violation of the dignity of human work. The fight against modern slavery and its evolution is a priority since modern slavery is the grey area in the international business models of the products we consume from these Swiss companies. These elements undeniably justify the merits of this initiative and the responsibility of our politicians to take action to improve the situation. The purpose of this submission is first to present the Federal People’s Initiative ‘Responsible Enterprises — to Protect People and the Environment’ and then, secondly, to present the development of slavery through literature and all related legal texts and norms. Indeed, for millennia, the economy has been based on slavery and abuses of all kinds in human work. Today, slavery, although made illegal, enables multinationals to conduct an effective war in cutting costs. Crimes committed in all cases have an impact on millions of lives. Thanks to a set of favourable conditions and specific assets, Switzerland has become the home of many multinationals, increasing its public responsibility. We will then analyse the impact of the scope of the Federal People’s Initiative through case studies involving the exploitation of forced labour and the worst forms of child labour classified by the World Labour Organisation in the supply chain of Swiss multinationals. In addition, an analysis of anti-corruption laws that punish acts committed outside the country of residence of the companies concerned will provide a better picture of the implementation of the initiative. Finally, a foresight study of the impact of the initiative against trafficking in human beings through labour exploitation will be developed at the end of this memory.