Responsible and sustainable value chains are moving up the EU policy agenda. With its Green Deal adopted in 2019 the EU aims at a more sustainable growth model and in early 2021 the EU put forward a more assertive international trade policy. Where does the mHRDD Directive fit in this flurry of EU regulations and policies? Is the EU likely to succeed in its attempt to connect trade and values? What are businesses doing or could do to support the EU? Is the EU approach to regulating supply chains and trade overly ambitious, misguided or problematic in other ways?