Blog18 Mar 2021Industry Solutions
Avoid Missed Sales Opportunities: Keeping Production Pipelines Fresh Calavo Growers had long used spreadsheets to track opportunities with customers. With the move to remote working came a greater need for visibility and accountability to ensure smooth operations and better customer experience. ...
Press Release13 Jun 2013
Business Basics More Important Than New Approaches to Growth, The Consumer Goods Forum and KPMG Find — Sales growth, product innovation and cost reduction programs come top for senior executives in 2013, over newer trends including mobile sales and online media — Findings released during The Consumer Goods Forum’s annual summit...
Blog14 Mar 2018People
Portugal: A Retail Snapshot There’s a lot more to Portugal than custard tarts, sandy beaches and the mournful rythms of ‘fado’. Stephen Wynne-Jones reports. This article first appeared in ESM Issue 1 2018. Close to four years on from...
Press Release24 Jun 2015
Campbell and Pick n Pay Executives Elected New Co-Chairs of The Consumer Goods Forum Board Paris and New York, 24th June, 2015 – The Consumer Goods Forum (CGF), the global body for the consumer goods industry, announced today that it has elected two new Co-Chairs for its Board: Denise Morrison,...
Blog12 Sep 2019Industry Solutions
Snack Attack: Are You Prepared for the Latest Trend? Did you know that how we eat and think about food is changing? Long gone are the days of three square meals. Consumers today want a diet that’s compatible with their ever-busy lifestyle and are...
Blog16 May 2019Global Summit
How Consumer Goods and Retail Can Align to Put Customers First I recently discovered oat milk. Months ago, while a friend was visiting, we got into a discussion about a company that makes oat-based milk so close to the real thing that it was selling...
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...
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...
Blog01 Apr 2020Industry Solutions
Artificial Intelligence is Accelerating Business-to-Consumer Response I got an email recently from Amazon, that as a Prime member, I was now eligible for free grocery delivery, which previously cost $14.99/month with the AmazonFresh grocery delivery service. Amazon is rolling out...
Blog01 Feb 2021
Why Brands Must Master Marketplace Strategies to Win Consumers, and Not Focus on Mass Personalisation Retail is on the cusp of entering Generation 5.0 (Retail 5.0), the next era of its evolution. In this new future phase of worldwide retail, growth for consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands will be...
Blog24 Feb 2021Industry Solutions
Growing the Joint Profit Pool of Retailers and Manufacturers in Europe In Europe, modern trade retailers account for 40% to 80% of annual sales and gross profit for most consumer packaged goods companies (CPGs). Much of that profit is concentrated in four to five main customers...
Press Release13 Jun 2016
Consumer Goods Retailers and Manufacturers Transforming to Maintain Competitive Advantage CAPE TOWN, PARIS and TORONTO, 13th June 2016 – A survey of 400 consumer goods retail and manufacturing executives from 27 countries reveals that companies who want to keep in front of change and secure...
Press Release12 Jun 2013
Royal Ahold and Nestlé CEOs Elected New Co-Chairs of The Consumer Goods Forum TOKYO and PARIS, 12th June 2013 – The Consumer Goods Forum (CGF), the global, parity-based network for the consumer goods industry, today announced it has elected two new Co-Chairs: Dick Boer, CEO of international...
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....
Blog07 May 2021Health & Wellness
A Clear Sign That UK Retailers and Consumer Brands are Serious About Inspiring Healthier Behaviours In 2019, members of The Consumer Goods Forum issued a clear call to action for retailers and manufacturers in the UK to come together to help tackle the UK’s growing range of public health issues...
Blog22 Feb 2022Food Waste
Putting the Food Waste Issue into the Core Sustainability Agenda by Empowering the Whole Value Chain Food waste is a part of the ecosystem that we are all inextricably and invisibly linked with. As Migros, we believe that a collective and concerted response to this issue is the best solution for...
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.