Fairtrade embeds human rights and environmental due diligence
Fairtrade works to support farmers and workers, foster responsible business conduct and induce policy reforms that protect human and environmental rights – in order to mitigate human rights risks in global supply chains.
Poverty and inequality are the root causes of many risks in global supply chains. That’s why collaboration of suppliers, buyers, governments and civil society is important. In order for farmers to invest in strong due diligence measures, they need to achieve better prices, longer lasting business relationships, and co-investment among all supply chain actors.
Human Rights and Environmental Due Diligence (HREDD) is a company’s responsibility and means managing the social and environmental risks and harms linked to its business. If conducted properly HREDD can be groundbreaking in advancing farmers’ and workers’ rights and environmental sustainability.
For Fairtrade, the most important issues around human rights and environmental due diligence in global supply chains include:
- A living wage and living income
- Preventing child labour and forced labour
- Preventing discrimination on the basis of gender, ethnic origin or other status
- Decent working conditions
- Environmental rights
- Freedom of association and unionisation
How Fairtrade supports Human Rights and Environmental Due Diligence
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Fairtrade Standards
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Support to producers
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Funding
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Business services
How Fairtrade supports the OECD Due Dililgence Guidance
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Embed responsible business conduct into policies & management systems:
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Identify & assess adverse impacts:
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Cease, prevent or mitigate adverse impacts:
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Track implementation and results:
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Communicate how impacts are addressed:
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Provide for or cooperate in remediation when appropriate:
Our interactive country risk map
Fairtrade has developed a risk map designed to support companies and farmer organisations in assessing their human rights and environmental risks. At Fairtrade, we call for collaboration between buyers, suppliers, governments and civil society to address the risks and causes.
Take a look!
“All our work seeks to mitigate, prevent and advance remediation of human rights violations. We commit to aligning our policies and processes with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. In case Fairtrade certified actors breach human rights in Fairtrade Standards, we seek to protect the impacted people and facilitate effective corrective measures,”
says Dr Tytti Nahi, Lead on Business and Human Rights at Fairtrade’s HRDD Centre of Excellence.
Mitigating risks
How can we best build collaboration across supply chain levels to achieve living incomes and mitigate risks across supply chains? Find out more about how Fairtrade works together with companies, governments and civil society to do so.
Read more
Fairtrade calls for fair due diligence, based on dialogue with rightsholders, fair cost sharing, collaboration and continuous improvement. Will you be a part of it?
Resources
- Guide for small and micro companies (August 2023)
- Guide for plantations and other organisations with hired labour (May 2023)
- Guide for small and medium-sized first buyers (May 2023)
- Guide for smallholder farmer organisations (June 2022)
- Risk assessment tool for SPOs (May 2023)
- Risk assessment tool for HLOs (May 2023)
- Fairtrade's Standard and Due Dilligence update (May 2023)
- Fairtrade's commitment to human rights (September 2020)
- United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGP)