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Search At the Global Forum for Responsible Recruitment (GFRR) 2025 in Bangkok, Rachel Elliott, General Manager – Sustainability Impact Narrative & Human Rights at Woolworths Group and Co-Chair of The Consumer Goods Forum’s (CGF) Human Rights Coalition (HRC), joined a high-level panel discussion on “Protecting Rights in Times of Global Uncertainty.”
The session, held on 21 May, brought together 100+ leaders from business, civil society, and advocacy to explore how human rights can be protected and advanced amid growing political polarisation, regulatory uncertainty, and threats to global cooperation.
Representing the HRC and its 26 member companies, Rachel emphasised the critical role of cross-sector collaboration to meet today’s challenges and scale impact.
“We are moving from the idea of respecting human rights to advancing human rights. And collaboration is key to it. Collaboration at scale in CGF can help us achieve the systemic change that is needed to tackle human rights issues, reduce risk exposure and improve supply chain efficiencies to make our business more responsible,” she noted.
Rachel also underscored how effective due diligence and transparency are prerequisites for meaningful collaboration, sharing insights into CGF’s work to build an ethical recruitment marketplace that brings buyers, suppliers, and solution providers together around shared accountability and improved outcomes for workers.
As part of the discussion, Rachel spoke to the power of business leadership in shaping responsible markets.
“The Human Rights Coalition is working to build an ethical recruitment marketplace with a broad multi-stakeholder approach. A pre-competitive space where we can foster a virtuous cycle of supply and demand for ethical recruitment. So we can make ethical recruitment the norm. Bringing everyone together because none of us can solve it alone,” she said.
She also previewed strategic pillars of the marketplace approach being developed within the HRC, including buyer-supplier alignment, sustainable purchasing practices, and pooled funding mechanisms.
This year’s Forum, convened by HRC partner the Institute for Human Rights and Business (IHRB), highlighted the ongoing need for stronger collaboration across sectors to tackle forced labour, with a particular focus on fair recruitment and the elimination of worker-paid fees.
These themes align closely with the HRC’s efforts to foster greater transparency and collaboration across global supply chains. As the world’s leading collective of consumer goods brands and retailers committed to responsible business conduct, the Coalition is advancing industry-wide alignment on Human Rights Due Diligence (HRDD), ethical recruitment, and the connection between social and environmental sustainability.
Through initiatives like the ethical recruitment marketplace, our members are developing practical, scalable solutions to address systemic risks. Businesses interested in learning more – or getting involved – are encouraged to connect with us.
Learn more at www.tcgfsocial.com
