What is complicity in business ethics, and what are its three categories?

Question

Accepted Answer

Complicity is knowingly taking part in others' wrongdoing; its categories are direct complicity (actively contributing), beneficial complicity (profiting from the violations) and silent complicity (failing to speak up and use one's influence).
Protecting human rights is primarily the duty of states, but non-state actors, including companies, are increasingly held responsible too. International guidance asks companies to make sure they are not complicit in human-rights abuses.

Category
What the company does
Example in the Russia case

Direct complicity
Participates in and supports the wrongdoing
Supplying weapons, producing arms, military logistics

Beneficial complicity (durch Vorteil)
Doesn't contribute to the violations but profits from them, knowingly, without trying to stop them
Buying and reselling grain stolen from Ukraine

Silent complicity (stille)
Fails to raise concerns with the authorities or use its influence to prevent future violations
Staying silent about the war

Category	What the company does	Example in the Russia case
Direct complicity	Participates in and supports the wrongdoing	Supplying weapons, producing arms, military logistics
Beneficial complicity (durch Vorteil)	Doesn't contribute to the violations but profits from them, knowingly, without trying to stop them	Buying and reselling grain stolen from Ukraine
Silent complicity (stille)	Fails to raise concerns with the authorities or use its influence to prevent future violations	Staying silent about the war