Fairtrade’s dialogue pilots show that meaningful engagement between companies and farmers and workers is possible, including online, and also highly valuable for strengthening supply chain risk management, according to a new Fairtrade report.

The report, titled “Meaningful rightsholder dialogue in supply chains,” highlight lessons from pilot projects across five supply chains in Africa, Asia, and the Pacific between 2024 and 2025, and cover sugar, cocoa, cotton and flowers, while also offering practical guidance for businesses and third-party facilitators.

The pilot projects show that by creating space for rightsholders to share their experiences, highlight priority risks, and propose solutions companies can better understand risks in their supply chains and improve relationships with producers, supporting more effective responses to human rights and environmental challenges.

The pilots also underline that meaningful engagement requires careful preparation and can benefit from external facilitation, to build trust and reach open dialogue between companies, farmers and workers.

Fairtrade’s role as facilitator

Fairtrade facilitated the pilots as trusted third party, designing and leading a structured dialogue process between companies and rightsholders. It supported participants with preparation and capacity building ahead of the dialogue sessions to ensure that all participants could influence the dialogue process and agenda.

The dialogue events were held in a hybrid format, with rightsholders and one facilitator meeting in person while company representatives and another facilitator joined online, reducing travel costs, emissions and time demands. Drawing on its relationships with producer organisations and companies, as well as its on-the-ground presence, Fairtrade helped foster communication, trust and a safe space for discussion.

Dialogue strengthens voice, trust, and risk identification

For participating rightsholders, the dialogue provided an opportunity to raise concerns and contribute directly to identifying risks and solutions in their supply chains.

“The Fairtrade HREDD Pilot Project created a space where our voices were heard, and where our fundamental rights, environmental concerns, and safety risks were clearly identified through inclusive and participatory workshops,” said Antero Embang, Chairperson, Maria Cecilia Farm Workers Association in the Philippines.

The pilots showed that when rightsholders are able to engage meaningfully and safely, they can contribute essential insights often missing from other risk assessment approaches.

Furthermore, the pilots also demonstrated the value of more participatory, people-centred approaches to due diligence, moving beyond reliance on desk-based risk data alone.

“The pilot with Fairtrade helped me better understand how supply chain due diligence can be designed in a people-centred way that goes beyond relying solely on risk data analysis,” said Manuel Holzer, Head of Sustainability, Chocolat Stella Bernrain in Switzerland.  “At the same time, it remains a challenge to ensure that all vulnerable groups within a community are meaningfully involved in this process.”

Key lessons

The pilots identified key lessons that can be applied by companies seeking to engage meaningfully with affected stakeholders:

• Meaningful dialogue is possible, including in online formats, and can improve risk management and due diligence outcomes.
• Capacity building and preparation matters. Before dialogue events, companies and rightsholders need to align on the purpose and agenda of the dialogue and share responsibility in addressing risks and violations.
• External facilitation can be critical. Trusted third parties can help bridge gaps between companies and rightsholders for more balanced engagement.
• Skilled facilitation and local knowledge are essential to manage power imbalances and support safe, inclusive participation.
• Fairtrade’s approach and tools can be adapted across different commodities, geographies, and supply chain contexts.

Addressing a persistent gap in engagement

While meaningful stakeholder engagement is a core expectation of HREDD frameworks and increasingly required by legislation, companies often struggle to put it into practice. Affected stakeholders are still rarely included in risk assessments and even less frequently involved in shaping solutions, according to the World Benchmarking Alliance’s Social Benchmark.

The pilots show that engagement can be strengthened when companies move beyond one-way consultation and invest in structured, facilitated dialogue that supports shared understanding and co-created solutions. They also underline that engagement should be mutually beneficial, enabling rightsholders to raise concerns safely, while gaining practical support and longer-term, trust-based relationships with buyers.

The project was supported by grants from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland and the ISEAL Innovations Fund, with support from the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO.

To read the full report, click here.