On 6th November, Director of Sustainability at The Consumer Goods Forum (CGF), Didier Bergeret, joined an event with French association, Entreprises pour les droits de l’homme, to commence discussions with French-operating companies around engaging with human rights and forced labour risks within the companies’ operations. With increasing regulatory demands in France and the European Union around human rights and human rights due diligence (HRDD), the meeting represented an opportunity for the CGF to offer guidance on how it supports its members in their work to implement forced labour-focused HRDD systems in their own operations. 
 
In addition, Didier also touched upon the CGF HRC’s work on forced labour and HRDD and building a business case around our focus in members’ own operations and working with select suppliers in the palm oil industry. Furthermore, he also highlighted some of the contemporary issues that the CGF is engaged with, including the rights and well-being of seafarers impacted by COVID-19 responses, and import bans for products suspected to have been produced by child/forced labour as in the case of the US Customs and Border Protection via its Withhold Release Orders. 
 
For more information about the CGF’s work around forced labour and human rights due diligence, visit www.tcgfsocial.com.