Winner of the Partnership for Freedom Grand Prize for tech to combat slavery in supply chains; Financial Times
What we do:
Assist companies confidentially to implement human rights due diligence
Assist governments to implement labor and human rights protections, like inspector training to spot and prevent forced labor in fishing
What is Labor Safe Screening?
In a nutshell, it is a risk-based due diligence process involving risk assessment then supplier education.
Step 1) The supply chain is screened independently for labor and human rights risks based on the findings of government and labor authorities (strictly–no algorithm or guessing). Accuracy is key so we may hire industry expertise (double blind) to map the supply chain correctly.
Step 2) Next we call the suppliers to hear them out. This is not a negative call but gauges how far they can see into conditions and what protections they have in place. The protections we are looking for are fundamental protections of a legal job agreed by countries (not aspirational).
Step 3) Preliminary results are presented back to the client and then a supplier survey is prepared. Some clients prefer to test their suppliers while others prefer to educate and assist suppliers to develop accurate human rights due diligence statements.
Step 4) Suppliers fill and return survey. We customize the survey and provide support.
Step 5) We then perform a specific assessment of risks with the supplier inputs and local inputs collected from organizations in the area that are familiar with the enterprise(s). This is an important cross-check for verifying the conditions and for checking if the protections described are accessible to the people working there.
Step 6) The client receives the results and recommendations for next steps and now has the facts needed to make decisions.
Step 7) Suppliers then receive training to know what to do and how to continue their human rights due diligence. Often this is two sessions and the first one scheduled before the surveys. Follow up support is always available.
This process was developed collaboratively with labor authorities in government, labor rights colleagues and worker representatives in Thailand, India, Australia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Hawaii, and through 20 rounds of peer review.
Concerned about labor in food supply networks?
- Labor issues in the fishing and food primary processing industries are coming under increased scrutiny.
- In the last year U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued several Withhold Release Orders (WROs) for seafood caught from particular fishing vessels and fleets.
- NGOs, such as Greenpeace, are also putting the spotlight on human rights issues within the tuna industry. In its 2021 retailer scorecard, Greenpeace focused on human rights in tuna fisheries for the first time.
- Would your organization like to avoid costly losses from sourcing tuna etc. that could get caught up in an import ban?
- Would your organization like to perform human rights due diligence?
- Would your organization like to be recognized as a leader for human rights in food supply networks?
- Labor authorities have identified several reasons why tuna fisheries (and squid, mahi and crab) can be high risk, including withheld wages and ID, little government oversight and a largely migrant workforce.
Why reach out and learn the working conditions?:
- To get ahead of risky human rights and labor issues and behind securing food production.
- To implement human rights due diligence. This involves identifying and then mitigating and preventing labor risks.
- This approach is becoming more commonplace. Some government agencies now require businesses to conduct human rights due diligence and address labor risks. Suppliers’ initiatives to develop a due diligence process are viewed favorably.
Our approach and ask:
- Sustainability Incubator is a specialist firm that has experience working on seafood supply chains and labor policy. For example, currently we are training 22 suppliers in human rights due diligence as well as training maritime inspectors in Indonesia and the Philippines on the fishing work cycle and how to interview fishing crew and spot forced labor (2022).
- Labor Safe is an educational process for buyers and suppliers to learn the social and labor risks in their supply chains. The process trains suppliers in ‘human rights due diligence’ so they can implement the types of worker protections sought by Homeland Security, Interpol, and NGOs such as Oxfam and Greenpeace.
- The world’s largest food companies have Labor Safe Screened their food supply chains.
- A grocer client in January 2022 said, “suppliers found the process to be educational and valuable.”
- Sustainability Incubator uses a collaborative, rather than punitive, approach to mitigate risk.
- Labor Safe is not a certification program. We do not conduct on-site audits and suppliers do not “fail.” Suppliers have an opportunity to demonstrate positive labor practices, as well as learn about risks.
- The Labor Safe process involves two phases: First we screen supply chains for labor risks. Second, we conduct training with suppliers on how to mitigate risk and prevent violations of labor law and human rights in the workplace.
- Your work with Labor Safe reinforces the commitments in your Supplier Codes of Conduct.
- Your work with Labor Safe is confidential.
Cost:
- Cost is based upon the risk of labor issues, which is determined by the U.S. government and international authorities.
- The cost for screening and training companies with high-risk supply chains can be as low as $8,000 per company.
- The cost for screening tuna companies sourcing from less obviously risky supply chain can be as low as $5000.
- A final determination on cost is made once the client provides a product list and Sustainability Incubator completes an internal risk assessment.
We have screened over 400 supply chains in the food sector.
For more information please contact us at info@sustainability-incubator.com.
Recognizing the value contributed by working people producing our food.