A two-day Human Rights and Environmental Due Diligence (HREDD) Standards and Risk Assessment Workshop in March 2026 brings together 12 management representatives from 5 Fairtrade tea Hired Labour Organizations (HLOs) in Coimbatore, India. Supported by Fairtrade NAPP, the training equipped participants with practical tools and knowledge to identify, prevent, and address human rights and environmental risks within their tea estates. Workers on these estates are set to benefit from stronger, more consistent protections going forward.

Why This Matters for Workers

Global trade is changing. New laws and standards are placing greater responsibility on businesses to understand and act on the human rights and environmental impact of their operations. Fairtrade International is responding to this by making HREDD a mandatory chapter in its standards for all Hired Labour Organizations. For tea estate managers, this means having a clear process to assess what risks exist in their workplaces and taking concrete steps to address them.

Five Fairtrade-certified tea estates from the Nilgiris and broader South India region took part in the workshop:

• The United Nilgiri Tea Estates Co. Ltd.
• SAE Ltd. (Kotada and Welbeck Estates)
• Neelamalai Agro Industries Ltd. (Katary and Sutton Estates)
• Parry Agro Industries Ltd.
• Parry Agro Industries Ltd. (Mango Range Group)

What Participants Gained from the Training

• A grounded understanding of human rights and why they matter in a business context

The workshop opened with an introduction to human rights, covering the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the role of states in protecting rights, and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. This session helped participants see the bigger picture before moving to how these principles apply directly to their own organizations and operations.

• Knowledge of the five key steps under HREDD and how to follow them

A dedicated session walked participants through the five HREDD steps in sequence, explaining what each step involves and what actions are expected at every stage. This gave managers a structured framework they can now use to guide their organization's approach to due diligence.

• The ability to identify human rights and environmental risks specific to their estates

Participants explored 13 risk areas defined under the Hired Labour Organizations standard. Case studies and group activities helped them apply these risk categories to situations that could realistically occur in their own workplaces, making the process of risk identification practical and grounded rather than theoretical.

• Hands-on skills to assess and prioritize risks using recognized tools

Two tools were introduced and practiced during the workshop: the Traffic Light Activity, which helps categorize risks quickly by urgency, and the Severity and Likelihood Assessment Tool, which helps rank risks based on how serious and probable they are. Participants used both tools on real scenarios during the session, building confidence in applying them independently going forward.

• A clear understanding of how to prevent, mitigate, and remediate risks once identified

The training dedicated time to explaining the differences between prevention, mitigation, and remediation, and what each means in practice. Group discussions and scenario-based exercises helped participants work through what actions are appropriate at each stage, from stopping a risk before it starts to addressing its impact once it has occurred.

• Awareness of the legal landscape around human rights and environmental responsibilities

A session on laws related to HREDD, both national and international, gave participants a broader view of the obligations their organizations carry. This helped them understand that HREDD compliance is not just a Fairtrade requirement but part of a wider and growing global expectation placed on businesses operating in international supply chains.

What Participants Said

"The session on Human Rights and Environmental Due Diligence under Fairtrade standards was highly informative and well-structured. The use of case studies and thorough analysis of the subject helped in better understanding the importance of HREDD in ensuring human rights and environmental compliance. The training has enhanced my understanding of risk identification, prevention, and mitigation related to human rights and environmental issues. Overall, the session was very useful and relevant. Thank you NAPP for organizing the session."

- Ammu P C, Parry Agro Industries Ltd., India

"The HREDD Fairtrade training was a valuable and insightful experience that enhanced my understanding of Human Rights and Environmental Due Diligence within the Fairtrade framework. The sessions were well-structured, combining both theoretical concepts and practical applications, which made the learning process engaging and effective. The real-world case studies and examples helped contextualize these concepts, making them easier to relate to day-to-day operations. The interactive components, such as group discussions and scenario-based exercises, were particularly useful in reinforcing learning outcomes."

- Sidhant Aiyappa, The United Nilgiri Tea Estates Co. Ltd., India

Looking Ahead

The workshop left participants with a stronger grasp of their responsibilities under Fairtrade's evolving standards and with practical tools they can put to use in their organizations right away. Over time, as these practices become part of regular operations, workers on these tea estates can expect to see a more structured approach to addressing workplace risks, from identifying issues early to building plans that tackle them at the root.

Fairtrade NAPP will continue to support Hired Labour Organizations in South India and across the region as they work toward full HREDD compliance. The goal is not just to meet a requirement on paper, but to build systems that genuinely protect the rights and livelihoods of the workers who are central to these supply chains.