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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.

Workers talking
Workers talking

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:

  • 1/3
    of the food consumed worldwide is produced by smallholder families. They are also the ones most affected by adverse impacts in supply chains.
HREDD

Fast fact

Considering the importance of small scale farmers it is critical to take their interests into account when it comes to new legislation on human rights and environmental due diligence.

How Fairtrade supports Human Rights and Environmental Due Diligence

  • Fairtrade Standards

  • Support to producers

  • Funding

  • Business services

How Fairtrade supports the OECD Due Dililgence Guidance

  • Embed responsible business conduct into policies & management systems:

  • Identify & assess adverse impacts:

  • Cease, prevent or mitigate adverse impacts:

  • Track implementation and results:

  • Communicate how impacts are addressed:

  • 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!
A view of our risk map

“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?

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