News Update03 Apr 2020Corporate
Special Edition: Industry Actions to Tackle Covid-19 and Support People The strength of the CGF lies in its collaborative efforts and ability to bring our industry together to discuss challenges impacting our people, our customers and our businesses, and to share best practices and knowledge....
News Update10 Mar 2022Corporate
CGF MD Wai-Chan Chan Speaks on Decarbonisation of Consumer Goods at FT Climate Capital Live in London On 8th March, Managing Director of The Consumer Goods Forum (CGF), Wai-Chan Chan, spoke at the FT Climate Capital Live event in London. The three-day event was heavily focused on what needs to happen to...
Press Release05 Jun 2019Corporate
Online Global Growth of 163% Predicted By 2023, Adding $257bn to Food and Consumer Goods Industry LONDON and PARIS, 5th June 2019 — Digital technologies are revolutionising the way the food and consumer goods industry operates and online sales are forecast to grow 163% by 2023 across major markets, according to a...
Blog12 Oct 2020Sustainable Retail Summit
Sustainability: the Key to Resilient Recovery For most of 2020, businesses have been absorbed by one thing: COVID-19. They’ve been rapidly adapting and doggedly surviving as the global pandemic disrupts what they do or, in many cases, shuts them down altogether....
Blog02 Sep 2020Product Data
Data Transparency Takes Centre Stage Throughout the Pandemic The rate of change in consumer demand witnessed over the past few months has been unprecedented, calling attention to the importance of effective lines of communication between suppliers and retailers. As demand for certain products spiked and supply...
Blog25 Jun 2021Food Safety
How Companies Are Preparing for the Next Pandemic Public health experts have been sounding the alarm on pandemics for years. Now that we have been living and working for more than a year in the COVID-19 pandemic, what have we learned and how...
Blog20 Jun 2022E2E Value Chain
The Future of Ethical Commerce and Sustainability in Fast Moving Consumer Goods Companies (FMCG) The UN World Commission on Environment and Development defines sustainability as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” Sustainability is therefore the process by...
Blog03 Mar 2022E2E Value Chain
Brand and Social Impersonation Frauds Affect Organizations of All Sizes Theft of sensitive information and money can damage the consumers’ confidence and ultimately lead to financial and reputational harms for your organization. This article will analyze the many sorts of impersonation and how companies can...
Blog20 Apr 2017
Are You Committed? The Time to Act on Refrigerants is Now New research shows that our society is only four years away from keeping the global average temperature of rising to no more than 1.5C. Reductions of CO2 through measures such as the phasing out of...
Blog09 Jun 2015
Can Changing How World Trade is Financed Actually Change the World? The work in question is the BEI’s ‘Sustainable Shipment Letter of Credit’, the first product development output of the Compact, which aims to pave the way for banks to promote and incentivise the trade...
Blog14 Apr 2020Corporate
The Values of Values: Setting the Course (Defining Values) This is the first of three articles in a series about ‘the value of values’ in which we will highlight values as a guiding principle for positive impact. We’ll begin by defining what values are,...
Press Release23 Jun 2021Global Summit
The Global Summit 2021: Day Three Summary Industry Leaders Discuss Ways to Build Better Lives Through Better Business PARIS, 23rd June 2021 — On the penultimate day of The Consumer Goods Forum’s (CGF) virtual Global Summit, the conversation hinged around some of...
Blog05 Oct 2023Food Waste
Can Farm Food Loss be Reduced by Retailers and Growers Working Together? Fresh fruit and vegetables are lost and wasted throughout the supply chain at higher rates than other categories of food. In part, this is because of their perishability and handling requirements, and in part, it’s...
Blog21 Feb 2022Global Summit
Overview of the Irish Retail Landscape When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020, Ireland implemented some of the strictest lockdown restrictions in the world. Initial hopes that “two weeks to flatten the curve” – as then-Prime Minister Leo Varadkar put it...
Blog05 Jun 2018Corporate
Time To Tackle The Food Paradox: A Call to Action, Insieme It is by now a well-known fact that there is a striking paradox within our global food system: so many still go hungry, while so many others face staggering rates of overweight and obesity. Nowhere...
Press Release03 Nov 2011
Consumer Goods Forum Recommends Improved Collaboration Between Governments and Business on Sustainable Growth and Job Creation CANNES, France, 3rd November 2011 – Speaking yesterday at the B20 Summit, the Co-Chairs of the Consumer Goods Forum, Muhtar Kent, Chairman of the Board and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company and Lars Olofsson,...
STANDARD: The BRCGS Global Standard for Ethical Trade & Responsible Sourcing Issue 2 achieved SSCI Recognition under Scope AI — Social Compliance: Manufacturing & Processing in November 2021.
BRCGS is an established global standards leader, with a rigorous GFSI recognised assurance program that touches every aspect of the 21st century supply chain – from food ingredients to packaging, distribution, retail and beyond. It sets the benchmark for best practice manufacturing, helping to provide reassurance that products and services are high quality, legal and safe. BRCGS is recognised across food and non-food categories as the global standard underpinning brand reputation through compliance, at over 30,000 certificated sites in 130 countries. Visit brcgs.com to find out more.
STANDARD: FSSC 24000 Social Management System Certification Version 1.0 is currently being benchmarked under Scope AI — Social Compliance: Processing and Manufacturing.
The aim of FSSC 24000 is to ensure that social sustainability management system requirements are met, resulting in certifications that assure organisations provide safe and fair working conditions, meet business ethics requirements, and apply due diligence in their supply chain management. FSSC 24000 provides a strategic approach incorporating the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle and risk-based thinking, which ensures the identification and control of social risk and continuous improvement. This process demonstrates corporate responsibility and facilitates improving the social management systems and performance thus driving impact.
FSSC 24000’s scope of certification includes the manufacturing and processing sector (food and non-food), including its related service provision. The certificate confirms that the organisation’s social sustainability management system is in conformance with the FSSC 24000 Scheme requirements based on the following normative documents:
BSI/PAS 24000:2022 – Social management system requirements (Publicly Available Specification)
FSSC 24000 Additional Requirements (as determined by the FSSC Board of Stakeholders)
The FSSC 24000 certification scheme is owned and governed by the non-profit Foundation FSSC and outlines the requirements for the audit and certification of a Social Sustainability Management System of an organization. More information on the FSSC 24000 Scheme is available on their website.
Responsible Fishing Vessel Standard
STANDARD: The Responsible Fishing Vessel Standard 2.1 achieved SSCI Recognition under Scope CI — Social Compliance: At-Sea Operations in November 2022.
In 2018, Global Seafood Assurances and the UK Sea Fish Industry Authority (Seafish) announced a memorandum of understanding to work together to create the next version of the Responsible Fishing Scheme (RFS), committing to expand its global applicability, which resulted in the creation of the Responsible Fishing Vessel Standard. Now part of the Global Seafood Alliance, GSA took ownership of the standards last year. The first RFVS-certified vessel was announced in Australia in January, and the second set of RFVS-certified vessels was announced in the United Kingdom in April. The standard addresses social responsibility, including working conditions and worker voice, about fishing vessels.
STANDARD: The SIZA Social Standard Version 6 achieved SSCI Recognition under Scopes AI — Social Compliance: Manufacturing & Processing, and BI — Social Compliance: Primary Production in June 2023.
SIZA, the Sustainability Initiative of South Africa, is enabling the South African agricultural sector to become a global leader in sustainable farming, ethical trade, and environmental stewardship. The aim is to encourage continuous improvement in practices over time. SIZA aims to have a cost-effective approach for growers by supplying one standard and one audit, no matter which market a producer supplies. SIZA engages directly with stakeholders throughout the value chain to improve supply chain sustainability, ensuring compliance and reducing risks while at the same time offering support and training with regard to best practices and continuous improvement. Verification occurs via third-party audits. For more information on SIZA, please visit our website: www.siza.co.za
Founded in 2003, the amfori BSCI enables companies to drive sustainability by setting up the human rights due diligence principles that business enterprises strive to implement in their global supply chain.
Representing over 2,400 participants in 46 countries, the amfori BSCI operates in a variety of sectors, the two largest being General Merchandise, and Garment & Textile with a combined annual turnover is evaluated to EUR 1.6 trillion.
The amfori BSCI Code of Conduct set out the values and principles for the implementation of supply chain due diligence, based on the OECD’s six-step framework. The amfori BSCI System Manual outlines the supporting tools and methodology for participants to exercise human rights due diligence and environmental protection set out in the amfori BSCI Code of Conduct.
STANDARD: The GAA Seafood Processing Standard Issue 5.1 is currently being benchmarked under Scope AI — Social Compliance: Manufacturing & Processing.
A division of the Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA), Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) is an international certification program based on achievable, science-based and continuously improved performance standards for the entire aquaculture production chain – including processing plants, farms, hatcheries and feed mills. BAP standards cover environmental responsibility, social accountability, food safety and animal welfare. The BAP program is based on independent audits that evaluate compliance with the BAP standards developed by GAA.
Fairness, Integrity, Safety, and Health (FISH) Standard for Crew
STANDARD: FISH Standard for Crew Version 1.0 is currently being benchmarked under Scope CI — Social Compliance: At-Sea Operations.
The Fairness, Integrity, Safety, and Health (FISH) Standard for Crew is a voluntary, third party labour certification program for wild harvest fishing vessels. FISH is designed to provide harvesters a tool to demonstrate to customers and other stakeholders that the seafood harvested comes from responsible sources with respect to crew treatment, compensation, and conditions. It was developed with input from the full seafood supply chain, including large and small harvesters, processors, retailers and restaurant groups, in consultation with labour non-profit organisations, to create a program that is open to vessels and fleets of all sizes around the globe. Read more about the Standard here.
STANDARD: The Florverde standard for the sustainable production of flowers and ornamentals version 7.2.1 is currently being benchmarked under Scope BI – Social Compliance: Primary Production.
Florverde Sustainable Flowers (FSF) is an independent social and environmental standard which ensures that flowers certified under this scheme have been responsibly produced. This requires flower growers to adopt measures that will protect and enable worker’s rights, implement best environmental practices, and comply with national regulations. FSF also helps safeguard quality by requiring the proper care and handling of flowers.
STANDARD: The KFC Flowers and Ornamentals Sustainability Standard Version December 2021 is currently being benchmarked under Scopes AI — Social Compliance: Manufacturing & Processing, and BI — Social Compliance: Primary Production.
Kenya Flower Council (KFC) is the country’s leading Business Membership Association for growers and exporters of cut-flower and ornamentals. KFC members account for approximately 80 percent of Kenya’s floricultural exports.
KFC also owns the Flowers and Ornamentals Sustainability Standards (FOSS), a trusted standard worldwide. It is one of only three internationally benchmarked standards that demonstrate sustainable social, environmental and good agricultural business practice benchmarks set by the EU-based Floriculture Sustainability Initiative (FSI). The standard encourages commitment to ethical practices, innovation and promoting equitable trading practices, thus ensuring that certified producers foster sustainable, responsible and safe production of cut flowers and ornamentals.
The Council is in the forefront promoting Kenya as a reliable source of quality cut flowers and ornamentals and the country’s competitiveness in the global floriculture trade. KFC is actively engaged in all major trade negotiations in existing, new and emerging markets and in amplifying Kenya’s image in the international market as the most trusted source of cut flowers and ornamentals.
Currently, Kenya is the third largest producer of cut-flowers and ornamentals in the world and exports to over 60 destinations globally. Floriculture is the fastest growing export sector in the Kenyan economy, providing direct employment for over 200,000 workers.
KFC engages with key actors locally for a favourable business environment for growers and exporters of cut flowers and ornamentals.
The Rainforest Alliance Sustainable Agriculture Standard, is designed to deliver more value to the more than four million farmers and workers and thousands of businesses that use Rainforest Alliance certification to drive more sustainable agricultural production and responsible supply chains. The Sustainable Agriculture Standard is used in more than 70 countries around the globe. Their program focuses on coffee, cocoa, tea, bananas, and many other important commodity sectors facing urgent environmental and social challenges.
Wine and Agricultural Ethical Trade Association (WIETA)
STANDARD: WIETA Standard Version 4.0 is currently being benchmarked under Scope AI — Social Compliance: Manufacturing & Processing.
The Wine and Agricultural Ethical Trade Association T/A WIETA was the first South African social standard, established in 2002, to establish an appropriate social auditing methodology for fruit and wine suppliers in South Africa. WIETA proudly demonstrates how a multi-stakeholder model can successfully promote a world class ethical trade and human rights programme within the wine value chain. Innovative social dialogue engagements, a rigorous capacity building and training programme for both workers and producers, coupled with a participative multi-pronged approach to auditing and remedial approach to ensure sustained corrective actions.