Blog24 Sep 2019Human Rights
Facilitating a Race to the ‘Top’ for Business in Tackling Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Last year one of the most famous brands in the world, Apple, won the Thomson Reuters Foundation’s Stop Slavery Award, alongside The Consumer Goods Forum member, Unilever. The Stop Slavery Award does not credit either...
News Update02 Apr 2017
Didier Bergeret to Speak at Innovation Forum Event on How Businesses Can Tackle Modern Slavery and Forced Labour The Consumer Goods Forum was pleased to participate in the Innovation Forum’s upcoming ‘How business can tackle modern slavery and forced labour’ conference, held on 25th and 26th April 2017 in London. The multi-stakeholder event...
Blog15 Sep 2022Human Rights
28 Million People in Forced Labour in 2021: CGF Response to Latest ILO Statistics on Modern Slavery This week, the International Labour Organization (ILO) announced that 50 million people were living in situations of modern slavery around the world in 2021, according to latest calculations. The new statistics, shared in the latest...
Blog22 Aug 2019Sustainable Retail Summit
Modern Slavery – A Shared Problem Modern slavery should be at the heart of our approach to sustainability. How can we say that we are sustainable if doing business is predicated on the abuse and exploitation of others? As operators of...
News Update21 Jun 2018Human Rights
“ENSLAVED”, A Visual Story of Modern Slavery, by Lisa Kristine, On Show at the Global Forum on Responsible Recruitment and Employment At the Global Forum on Responsible Recruitment and Employment, co-hosts The Consumer Goods Forum and The Institute for Human Rights and Business had the privilege of hosting photographer Lisa Kristine’s acclaimed exhibition, “ENSLAVED”, a visual...
Blog27 Jul 2017Human Rights
Giving a Voice to Those with None – My Story and the Fight Against Modern Day Slavery Today, the International Labour Organization (ILO) states forced labour in the private economy generates US $150 billion in illegal profits per year, making it the world’s most profitable crime. There are almost 19 million victims...
Blog07 Sep 2016Human Rights
Eradicating Forced Labour – Consumer Goods Industry Takes Significant Step Forward Modern slavery is an evil that persists despite twelve international conventions and over three hundred international treaties banning it. It is a crime that causes suffering to thousands in the UK and millions around the...
News Update21 Aug 2018People
Opinion Piece by Social Sustainability Director Featured in The Grocer Last week, an article, entitled “Collaboration is vital if we are going to make progress on ending modern slavery” written by the CGF’s Social Sustainability Director Didier Bergeret was published on The Grocer’s online platform....
News Update28 Mar 2018People
CGF Social Sustainability Director Didier Bergeret took part in panel discussion at UN Women’s 2018 Conference in New York On March 9th, The Consumer Goods Forum (CGF)’s Social Sustainability Director Didier Bergeret took part in a panel discussion at a conference co-hosted by the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women (UN Trust...
News Update12 Jun 2025Corporate
Digital Reinvention, Ethical Supply Chains and Leadership Takes Focus at The Consumer Goods Forum’s Global Summit Day 2 in Amsterdam From scaling AI to safeguarding human rights, Day 2 of the Consumer Goods Forum’s Global Summit brought together global leaders to explore how the industry is evolving in response to today’s complex challenges. While the...
Blog16 Dec 2021Human Rights
Fighting Forced Labour of Children: First Steps for Businesses As we see out the 2021 International Year for the Elimination of Child Labour, one thing is clear: it’s time to step up action. Child labour has worsened. According to the International Labour Organization (ILO)...
News Update25 Mar 2021Human Rights
“Tony’s Chocolonely Deserves Support for Tackling the Complexity of Combatting Forced Labour,” says CGF Sustainability Director in Reuters Editorial Commenting on the recent news around Tony’s Chocolonely and how it has been dropped from Slave Free Chocolate’s list of ethical chocolate companies, despite its efforts to fight forced labour in global cocoa supply chains,...
Blog28 Jun 2018Human Rights
Adding our Voice to the Global Call to End Forced Labour Think for just a moment about the challenges facing global agriculture and our food system over the coming decades, and you’ll realize—we have a lot of work to do. The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization...
Blog24 May 2021Human Rights
Human Rights Due Diligence: Tesco’s Journey Tesco is a proud member of The Consumer Goods Forum’s Human Rights Coalition — Working to End Forced Labour (HRC), which shares our ambition to eradicate forced labour from consumer goods supply chains and own...
News Update02 Nov 2016
Forced Labour Eradication Key Topic at Sustainable Retail Summit Some 240 delegates from nearly 30 countries joined this year’s Sustainable Retail Summit, held in Paris on 27th & 28th October. The event delivered on its promise to inspire and inform, leaving participants equipped with the...
Press Release14 Jan 2016
Fighting Forced Labour – A Rallying Call from the Consumer Goods Industry PARIS, 14th January 2016 — The Board of The Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) today announced an ambitious, new resolution to fight forced labour issues throughout global supply chains, launching a rallying call to the industry.
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.
Fairness, Integrity, Safety, and Health (FISH) Standard for Crew
STANDARD: FISH Standard for Crew Version 1.0 achieved SSCI Recognition in March 2025 for 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 achieved SSCI Recognition under Scope BI – Social Compliance: Primary Production in April 2024.
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: FSSC 24000 Social Management System Certification Version 6.0 achieved SSCI Recognition under Scope AI — Social Compliance: Processing and Manufacturing in January 2024.
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
Wine and Agricultural Ethical Trade Association (WIETA)
STANDARD: WIETA Standard Version 4.0 achieved SSCI recognition under Scope AI — Social Compliance: Manufacturing & Processing, and BI — Social Compliance: Primary Production in January 2025.
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.
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.
Ethiopian Horticulture Producer Exporters Association (EHPEA)
STANDARD:The Ethiopian Horticulture Producer Exporters Association (EHPEA) is currently being benchmarked under Scope BI – Social Compliance: Primary Production.
Ethiopian Horticulture Producer Exporters Association (EHPEA) is a business membership organisation which was established in 2002. It is an organisation meant to promote the interest of its members who are engaged in the production and export of cut flowers, fruit, vegetables, herbs, cuttings as well as vegetable seeds.
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.
STANDARD: The MPS-SQ Standard is currently being benchmarked under Scope BI — Social Compliance: Primary Production.
MPS, owned by Stichting MPS, is a leading organisation dedicated to supporting sustainability in the agricultural sector through its trusted certification schemes. The MPS-SQ Standard, introduced in 2002, is designed to ensure that agricultural products are produced under good working conditions. The standard applies to growers and their entire company, addressing key areas such as employee working conditions, health, and safety. It is built on universal human rights, the codes of conduct of local representative organisations, and international agreements of the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
The MPS-SQ Standard also ensures fair treatment for family members working in family-run agricultural operations and sets minimum requirements for working conditions, encouraging compliance with stricter national, local, or international laws to provide the highest level of worker protection. By promoting ethical labour practices, My MPS aims to improve worker safety, health, and well-being while enhancing the image of the agricultural sector. MPS is applying for SSCI’s Scope BI — Social Compliance: Primary Production, reaffirming its commitment to advancing sustainable and responsible practices across the agricultural supply chain.
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.