On 4 March 2026, 100 members of the Fairtrade global system gathered online for an internal webinar titled "How does Fairtrade respond to human rights violations?" The session, organised by Fairtrade's Human Rights Due Diligence (HREDD) Centre of Excellence, brought together staff from Producer Networks (PNs), National Fairtrade Organisations (NFOs), and Fairtrade International (FI) to build a shared, consistent understanding of how Fairtrade manages grievance mechanisms and remediation. Fairtrade NAPP was represented by its Social Compliance and Risk Manager joining as a panelist to ensure that producer perspectives from the Asia Pacific region were part of the conversation.

Why This Conversation Matters Now

Fairtrade's grievance mechanisms and remediation work are among its core strengths. Clear communication to external stakeholders becomes an integral issue so that, companies, researchers, and civil society organisations have a full picture of how Fairtrade responds when human rights concerns arise in certified supply chains. This gap may cause real consequences. In some cases, other certification systems are perceived as stronger on remediation, not because they are, but because they are more transparent about their processes.

The webinar was designed to address this directly. It aimed to equip Fairtrade staff across the global system with the knowledge, shared language, and tools to communicate these processes accurately and with confidence. Participants were encouraged to be honest about what Fairtrade does and what it does not do, avoiding both overclaiming and understating the organisation's role. As one of the key messages from the session put it: grievance mechanisms only help if people know about them.

Fairtrade's Grievance and Remediation Ecosystem

A central part of the webinar focused on defining key concepts and explaining how Fairtrade's systems work in practice. Two definitions were at the core of the discussion.

A grievance mechanism is a routinised process through which individuals or groups can raise concerns about a harm or risk and seek remedy. Examples include ethics hotlines, community complaints systems, labour tribunals, and national human rights institutions. Remediation refers to the process of correcting a human rights violation. This can include apologies, financial or non-financial compensation, restitution, rehabilitation, and measures to prevent further harm. Fairtrade's approach to remediation depends on the nature of its involvement. The webinar clarified, violations are remediated, not merely flagged.

Producers and commercial partners each carry distinct responsibilities within this ecosystem. All Fairtrade certified organisations are expected to accept complaints and take appropriate follow-up action, including remediation where serious violations are identified. At the same time, commercial partners such as retailers, manufacturers, and traders cannot outsource their own duty to establish grievance mechanisms. They are expected to operate or participate in mechanisms that allow stakeholders to file grievances and drive changes in company policies and practices. Fairtrade encourages these partners to support their suppliers in grievance management and remediation, including through Fairtrade's programmatic work.

Producer Perspectives from Asia Pacific

Fairtrade NAPP's Social Compliance and Risk Manager, Sahiti Kachroo, joined as a panelist alongside colleagues from Fairtrade Switzerland, Fairtrade International, and the HREDD Centre of Excellence. Her participation ensured that producer perspectives from the Asia Pacific region were reflected in the discussion on communication challenges and practical implementation.

Kachroo spoke to the value of more open communication on this topic:

"For us as a producer network, communicating more on grievance mechanisms and remediation work is extremely important. It strengthens accountability and, equally, builds trust with producers, workers, and external stakeholders. Because Fairtrade operates a strong, multi-level grievance ecosystem, with Producer Networks closely advancing access to remedy at regional and field levels, clear communication reinforces confidence that these systems are real, accessible, and effective."

At the same time, Sahiti flagged the responsibility that comes with greater openness. Communication must be managed carefully to avoid exposing Producer Organisations to reputational or commercial risks while they are working in good faith to address issues, and to always protect the privacy of affected persons. The focus, she noted, is not simply on communicating more, but on communicating responsibly: balancing transparency with protection, accountability with care, and ambition with clarity about Fairtrade's institutional role.

New Communication Assets

A key output of the webinar was the introduction of a set of new communication resources developed by HREDD experts across Producer Networks, NFOs, and Fairtrade International. These materials are designed to give Fairtrade staff across the system a shared foundation for engaging with commercial partners, researchers, and civil society.

Next Steps for the Asia Pacific Region

Following the webinar, Fairtrade NAPP plans to adapt and contextualise these materials for use with producers and stakeholders across the Asia Pacific region. This will include:

• Simplifying content and translating materials into relevant local languages
• Using the resources in workshops, with a focus on reaching women, migrant workers, youth members, and other groups
• Supporting Producer Organisations to integrate the key principles into their own grievance and remediation systems
• Sharing the materials with government agencies, local NGOs, and trade unions to ensure aligned communication around Fairtrade's work on grievance mechanisms and remediation

Sahiti underlined the longer-term goal: the aim is for Producer Organisations to see real value in these outputs and integrate the key principles into their own grievance and remediation systems, contributing to a more streamlined and unified approach across Fairtrade.