Report on Human Rights Due Diligence in the Consumer Goods Industry

Report on Human Rights Due Diligence in the Consumer Goods Industry

BE human, be kind: human rights due diligence within the consumer goods industry

A report by the UN Global Compact Young Professionals Program

The Young Professionals Program team from the UN Global Compact, formed in January 2023, has released a comprehensive report outlining best practices for Human Rights Due Diligence (HRDD) within the Consumer Goods industry. The team, comprising of eight individuals from diverse professional fields, has devoted their expertise to elucidate and enhance the application of HRDD within the sector.

The objective of this initiative is to foster a more principled and ethical business environment, considering the complex nature of the global Consumer Goods industry, with its intricate and extensive value chains. Monitoring and resolving potential human rights violations across these chains are complex tasks that span multiple geographies and supplier tiers.

The report presents an analysis of various approaches towards HRDD from entities within the consumer goods industry, shedding light on the best practices adopted by these organizations. The guiding principles for this report are the United Nations Guiding Principles (UNGPs) on Business and Human Rights. The report showcases strategies that exceed mere compliance and contribute significantly to advancing this agenda globally.

The methodology uses six steps of HRDD, as defined by the OECD, providing a foundation for the analysis. These steps serve as an insightful guide, presenting exemplary practices implemented by consumer goods companies, therefore creating a robust blueprint for successful HRDD implementation.

On the 21st of February 2024, the report was officially released during a launch event with talks from Human Rights experts Jamie Holton and Thijs van Brussel.

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Watch the launch event

How to raise climate awareness in your organization

How to raise climate awareness in your organization

How to Raise climate awareness in your organization

In 2023, UN Global Compact Network Netherlands facilitated two Peer Learning Groups: one on Gender Equality and one on Climate Action. The goal is for the participating companies to learn more about these important topics, to dig into the challenges that they are facing, and to exchange best practices that can help overcome these challenges.

Raising climate awareness in your organization can be a challenge, especially considering the amount and complexity of knowledge that is available. How can you increase awareness in our organization? During the fifth and final session of the 2023 Climate Action Peer Learning Group at the Invest-NL HQ, thre professionals shared their perspective on different ways to make a case for climate change within the organization.

One possible approach is gamification. By applying game elements and principles to illustrate complex topics such as the causes and consequences of climate change, ‘players’ often experience enhanced engagement and motivation. An example of gamifying climate action is Climate FRESK. The game is simple and based on scientific knowledge. It comprises 42 cards and can be played with three groups of eight players each.

Another approach is to track your carbon footprint. During the Peer Learning Group session, Jo Hand from Giki Zero explained why tracking your carbon through helps to raise awareness. The platform is developed and based on scientific knowledge and includes 160 steps to build a sustainable lifestyle. It provides feedback, motivates colleagues to learn more about sustainability, and increases engagement with each other within the organization by addressing different personalities.

Being carbon literate is essential in combating climate change. Carbon literacy means “an awareness of the carbon costs and impacts of everyday activities and the ability and motivation to reduce emissions on an individual, community, and organizational basis.” Phil Korbel, from The Carbon Literacy Project, explained how to become carbon literate and emphasized that it is not enough to learn by oneself, but that you should be involved in peer-to-peer social learning. By learning from peers, you develop a sense of belonging, trust, and support, as well as gain recognition and appreciation for skills and contributions.

Lastly, Martine Kruiswijk, from KlimaatGesprekken, stressed the transition from awareness to action, since this is not always a given. Any behavioral process takes time, and it is vital to go through this process together by engaging with your colleagues and friends.

After these inspiring contributions of the speakers, the participants carried out a plenary discussion about how to use these methods within their own organization. Each participant created a five-step action plan and shared their outcomes with their peers in breakout rooms.

We’d like to grant a special thanks to the host of this session, Andrea Dijk, from Invest-NL. She has shared how Invest-NL is staying inspired to keep progressing on climate ambition. Increasing time investment between colleagues, benefiting the knowledge contribution from invited speakers, organizing impact challenges for teams, and informing everyone with an ESG & Impact newsletter can help organizations create internal motivation and awareness.

Implementing Sustainable Finance Principles is not a solitary endeavor but a collaborative partnership.

Implementing Sustainable Finance Principles is not a solitary endeavor but a collaborative partnership.

Implementing Sustainable Finance Principles is not a solitary endeavor but a collaborative partnership

This business brief has been compiled based on the output of the event ‘Principles on Integrated SDG Investments & Finance’ on 17 October at ABN Amro in Amsterdam. This brief will address how Sustainable Finance Principles can be effectively implemented.

The CFO Principles on Integrated SDG Investments and Finance were introduced in 2020 to expedite private sector investment for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The primary motivation for such an introduction is accelerating private investments for the needed progress in implementing SDGs. There are four CFO Principles: 1) Developing an SDG Impact thesis (theory of change) and measurement; 2) Integrating the SDG impact thesis and investment plan into the corporate strategy; 3) Developing and implementing a comprehensive corporate SDG Finance approach 4) Integrated SDG communication and reporting.

Creating your SDG impact thesis and measurement basis

For developing an SDG impact thesis, avoiding a silo approach to departmental interaction is vital. Sustainability departments should interact well with the CFO and accounting departments. This will help the organization deal with the SDGs’ complexity and financial terrain. Another crucial factor for the SDG impact thesis is that it differs from the investment thesis. Instead of prioritizing financial gain, it prioritizes SDG impact. In some areas, they might even be overlapping. For instance, carbon prices can create awareness about reducing costs and the adverse effects on climate. The impact measurement should include hard metrics consistent with SDG targets and indicators. If this impact measurement is integrated broadly within the organization, it will bring the benefit of more awareness and better coordination.

Integrating an SDG impact strategy and Investment plan

When integrating the SDG impact thesis and investment plan into corporate strategy, it is crucial not to underestimate the positive effect of involving internal stakeholders. If internal stakeholders are on board at this stage, they will better understand the SDG impact perspective and perform better when it comes to implementation. The organizations can also collaborate with external stakeholders such as suppliers and public entities. For example, an independent SDG verification of the investment plan might help realize gaps and elements to improve. External stakeholders can contribute to integrating a multiplicity perspective in capital, enhancing the corporate SDG Finance Approach. Capital is not considered solely monetary value anymore but includes skills, knowledge, community development, and environmental protection.

Communication and reporting

Finally, disclosing only what is being done is insufficient to communicate and report the SDG impact. A long-term vision, a prospect for the future, will help the organization progress further and receive public feedback. The insight from our event groups emphasize the importance of support from peers, internal stakeholders, and external partners. The organizations do not have to invent everything themselves. They can already use existing frameworks and benchmarks. Following good governance mechanisms are key to assessing the SDG activities.

Key take away

The most emphasized actions to consider for implementing Sustainable Finance Principles include collaborating with external stakeholders and including internal stakeholders at nearly every stage. Implementing Sustainable Finance Principles is not a solitary endeavor but a collaborative partnership.

Beneath the Surface: Why Climate Change is a Human Rights and Gender Issue

Beneath the Surface: Why Climate Change is a Human Rights and Gender Issue

Beneath the Surface: Why Climate Change is a Human Rights and Gender Issue. 

Climate Change is intrinsically linked with human rights and gender equality. It threatens human rights and affects such rights even disproportionally depending on the social category of individuals. What are the links between climate change, human rights, and gender equality, and how can we relate them in the Dutch context?

Human Rights and Climate Change

Starting with human rights, everybody has “the inherent right to life” and the law protects it. Climate change is a threat that puts the lives of present and future generations in danger through impacts such as extreme weather, fires, storms, and floods. The legal implications of these links have increased since the last decade. Specifically in the Netherlands, the most known cases are Urgenda vs. Netherlands and Millieudefensie et al. vs. Shell. In both cases, the Dutch court interpreted climate change as directly linked to the human rights of the Dutch citizens.

Gendered consequences

The impact of climate change is not even. Often, lower socioeconomic status exposes individuals and communities more to the negative effects of climate change. Women are often discriminated against and have less access to resources, education, participation in decision-making, and land than men. These disadvantages in a patriarchal system make the impact of climate change gendered. For example, any food scarcity or price increases impact pregnant women’s health more than men’s. Women are often “first to skip meals or reduce consumption” during these situations. Specifically, such conditions have exposed women with maternal health issues to negative cultural stigmatization. While these situations happen more often in low-middle-income countries, the Netherlands is not immune to the gendered impact of climate change. Particularly for those older than 65, women in the Netherlands are more exposed to the risk of death due to heat than men. Increasing heatwaves in the Netherlands might increase this difference even more. 

Marginalized

It is also vital to consider people with migration backgrounds and climate change. Inequality in well-being is a serious problem, especially among communities with non-Western migration backgrounds in the Netherlands. Specifically, due to poor facilities and infrastructure, the urban heat island effect might impact neighborhoods comprising dense populations with non-Western migration backgrounds more than others. We should consider that women and non-heteronormative genders who belong to this category are far more vulnerable than others. However, more research is needed to be done about this in the Netherlands to understand the overall picture better.

Conclusion

To solve the climate crisis, adopting a human-rights-centered approach while addressing gender equality issues will be one of the fundamental mechanisms to adapt and mitigate. Man-made blocks have paved our road to climate change, and bringing other gender groups into power will be a key to remaking those blocks and reshaping our path. Societies that empower women in decision-making are more successful in ratifying environmental treaties and adopting climate change policies. Companies with a bigger share of women on their management boards are more likely to be successful in their climate strategies. Although the share of women on boards is increasing at a high pace in the Netherlands, reaching almost 40%, even for senior positions, this is only marginal in the energy sector. 

SDG Innovation Accelerator for Young Professionals

SDG Innovation Accelerator for Young Professionals

SDG Innovation Accelerator for Young Professionals

Programme Overview

Innovation serves as the bridge that connects the aspirations of young professionals to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

The SDG Innovation Accelerator for Young Professionals is a unique opportunity offered to participating companies within the UN Global Compact network. It empowers the young talent within these organizations to collaborate and drive business innovation that aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

This intensive nine-month programme is designed to activate the potential of future business leaders and changemakers. It focuses on the development and implementation of innovative solutions through cutting-edge technologies, initiatives, and business models that contribute to your company’s sustainability objectives.

Highlights of the Programme

Young professionals collaborate within teams to identify opportunities and create solutions that not only benefit their respective companies but also contribute to the broader goal of advancing innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The 9-month program encompasses a variety of components such as worldwide webinars, local training workshops, mentoring, live case studies, interactive sessions with both peers and experts, and challenge labs.

The activities within the program are centered around a “learning by doing” approach, emphasizing practical, action-oriented experiences to address real challenges and capitalize on existing opportunities.

Innovators are carefully paired with Mentors and Experts who provide guidance and support throughout the process of designing, developing, and testing their solutions.

The progress of these solutions is closely monitored and tracked throughout their development cycle. This serves as a source of inspiration and as a set of exemplary models for business innovation aimed at achieving the SDGs.

The program establishes a global network comprising young professionals from Global Compact companies. This network fosters ongoing engagement and promotes the concept of SDG innovation within the business community.

Download the Curriculum
Watch the latest information session

Who Can Participate

  • High-performing professionals at participating companies of the UN Global Compact
  • Participants must be 35 years or younger
  • Interested in business-model innovation, sustainability and disruptive technologies
  • Ability to dedicate a minimum of five (5) hours a month to the Accelerator

Participant Benefits

    • Engage in accelerated learning opportunities including online and in-person workshops, case studies, company visits and forum discussions
    • Collaborate with other businesses on innovative projects tailored to your company and industry.
    • Build valuable relationships through coaching, mentoring and peer-to-peer networking.
    • Gain insights from leading experts in sustainability and innovation from around the world.
    • Join a global network of talented young professionals from top companies across every continent.

Company Benefits

    • Apply SDG innovation to address real sustainability challenges your company is currently facing.
    • Embed the SDGs into your company’s business strategy through collaboration, innovation and knowledge sharing.
    • Enhance employee engagement and create professional development opportunities.
    • Access a network of experts from some of the world’s leading companies.
    • Receive global recognition for your company’s participation in the programme.

Programme Experience

Over the nine-month duration of the programme, each team of young innovators will work on a challenge specific to their company. Their goal is to design more sustainable business models, initiatives, and products that not only advance the company’s sustainability efforts but also drive innovation and deliver tangible solutions with potential market value.

The Accelerator takes participants through a structured design thinking approach, centered around the SDGs. Participants progress through five key phases of the programme, equipped with the necessary resources, tools, and methodologies:

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Interested in participating?

Interested in participating in the SDG Innovation Accelerator in 2025? Let us know by sending an email. 

Firas Abdulhasain

Sr. Program Manager

Contact person for SDG Innovation Accelerator

abdulhasain@unglobalcompact.nl

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