Transaction Search Form: please type in any of the fields below.
Date: April 30, 2024 Tue
Time: 1:46 am
Time: 1:46 am
Results for consumer products
2 results foundAuthor: KnowTheChain Title: Apparel and Footwear Benchmark Findings Report: How are 20 of the largest companies addressing forced labor in their supply chains? Summary: According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), an estimated 21 million people are victims of forced labor around the world. As defined by the ILO, forced labor refers to "situations in which persons are coerced to work through the use of violence or intimidation, or by subtler means such as accumulated debt, retention of identity papers or threats of denunciation to immigration authorities." The apparel & footwear industry is an at-risk sector. Forced labor occurs both in the production of raw materials and during the manufacturing stages of apparel and footwear companies' supply chains, especially at lower tier suppliers and in home-based or informal manufacturing. Most nations in the world participate to some degree in the textile and apparel sector. And, the textiles, clothing, and footwear industry is a rapidly growing field of employment: While in 2000 the global garment industry employed about 20 million workers, this number has at least tripled to 60-75 million workers in 2014, three quarters of whom are women. Following incidents of child labor and reports about sweatshop conditions since the 1990s, companies have taken action, and associations such as the Ethical Trading Initiative, the Fair Labor Association, and the Better Work Initiative, a partnership between the ILO and the International Finance Corporation, have helped companies to work towards improving conditions in apparel supply chains. Today, companies acknowledge responsibility for working conditions in their supply chains, and traceability and transparency are higher than in other sectors. The majority of large apparel and footwear companies have in place supplier monitoring systems, and, through initiatives such as ACT (Action, Collaboration, Transformation), apparel brands, retailers, manufacturers, and trade unions are collaborating to implement living wages. Why does forced labor in the sector persist? While progress has been made, forced labor persists in the sector. The tragic collapse of the Rana Plaza building in Bangladesh has proven that auditing systems can easily fall short: two factories in the building had been audited for social compliance and several brands were unaware that their clothes were being made there. Where audits are announced, some employers ask undocumented workers or child workers to hide. In other instances, the work is subcontracted, and poor working conditions move to a deeper, less visible part of the supply chain.4 "Fast fashion" models can exacerbate the risk of forced labor, with pressure on lead times and pricing leading suppliers to outsource production. Details: San Francisco: KnowTheChain, 2016. 36p. Source: Internet Resources: Accessed April 6, 2018 at: https://knowthechain.org/wp-content/plugins/ktc-benchmark/app/public/images/benchmark_reports/KTC_A&F_ExternalReport_Final.pdf Year: 2016 Country: International URL: https://knowthechain.org/wp-content/plugins/ktc-benchmark/app/public/images/benchmark_reports/KTC_A&F_ExternalReport_Final.pdf Shelf Number: 149720 Keywords: Consumer ProductsForced LaborHuman Rights AbusesHuman TraffickingMigrant WorkersModern SlaveryRetail IndustrySupply Chains |
Author: KnowTheChain Title: How food and beverage companies tackle forced labor risks in sugarcane supply chains Summary: Sugarcane is one of the largest agricultural commodities in the world. It can be found in everyday food items such as cereals, yogurts, and ready-made pizzas, and in beverages such as soft drinks, sports drinks, and flavored coffees. Sugarcane is typically manually harvested, often by migrants and rural workers with little education-in Brazil, more than 25% of the rural population work in sugarcane supply chains. Sugarcane workers face hazardous working conditions, long working hours in isolated workplaces, low wages, and even forced labor. Food and beverage companies face major risks in sourcing sugarcane, given this commodity has been found to be produced by forced labor in Brazil and India, the two largest sugarcane producers in the world. This case study assesses how a sample of 10 companies address forced labor risks across their sugarcane supply chains, finding that, while some companies have assessed risks and set targets, all companies in the case study need to improve significantly-in particular to provide grievance mechanisms and remedy. For the purpose of this report, the term "sugar" has been used where sources refer to sugarcane and may also refer to sugar beets. This study follows KnowTheChain's first food and beverage benchmark completed in 2016, which found a lack of transparency and adequate action to address forced labor in commodity supply chains such as sugarcane, where risks have been documented. We compared the disclosed policies and practices of the 10 companies and examined additional information provided through a questionnaire, which was developed in consultation with global and local stakeholders. Eight of the companies responded to the questionnaire, which represents a notable increase from the 2016 benchmark, when less than half of the companies provided additional disclosure. Key findings on the 10 companies in our case study include: - All companies disclose where at least some parts of their sugarcane supply chains are located. Coca-Cola discloses a map that highlights all sourcing countries for its key commodities. However, the company did not follow through on its commitment from 2013 to disclose the names of all its direct sugarcane suppliers within three years. Wilmar is the only company that discloses a list with names and addresses of its sugar suppliers. - All companies should take concrete follow-up steps at the country level. However, we found steps taken at that level are limited. PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Nestle, and ABF are the only companies making efforts to understand and assess forced labor risks in their sugarcane supply chains at the country level. While most companies have a grievance mechanism in place, it is unclear whether the mechanisms are communicated to and used by suppliers' workers. Further, no company was able to provide an example of remedy provided to workers in their sugarcane supply chains. - Most companies recognize the need to significantly increase their efforts to improve working conditions in their sugar supply chains and have committed to implement or strengthen sustainable sugar sourcing, which includes efforts to prevent forced labor. Notably, Nestle has set time-bound targets for salient labor issues which include, for example, working with suppliers to promote the right of workers to establish and join trade unions. Details: San Francisco: KnowTheChain, 2017. 34p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 6, 2018 at: https://knowthechain.org/wp-content/uploads/KTC-SugarcaneReport-Final_August-2017.pdf Year: 2017 Country: International URL: https://knowthechain.org/wp-content/uploads/KTC-SugarcaneReport-Final_August-2017.pdf Shelf Number: 149721 Keywords: Consumer Products Forced Labor Human Rights AbusesHuman Trafficking Modern Slavery SugarcaneSupply Chains |