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Commitments & Achievements

Building on past achievements and driving future impacts

Taking Action as Leaders Against Slavery 

Today, as part of the Human Rights Coalition, our members have committed to a series of steps that will support the implementation of our resolution and adoption of the Priority Industry Principles.

Coalition members commit to activate and implement the following objectives targeting the eradication of forced labour:

  1. Establish and deploy HRDD systems in our Own Operations with the aim of reaching 100% coverage in high-risk operations by 2025.
  2. Activate pre-competitive practices (e.g. roundtable discussions and open source training materials, etc.) to support responsible recruitment markets using the leverage of our own operations and collective engagement in selected geographies / commodities by 2025.
  3. Collaborate with selected suppliers starting with palm oil supply chains to develop and deploy HRDD systems from the refinery to the plantation level by 2025.
  4. Engage relevant stakeholders to enable the adoption and enforcement of measures with governments to eliminate forced labour.
  5. Act with relevant industry, multi-stakeholder groups and inter-governmental organisations to enhance cooperation and share information and resource openly.
  6. Support transparency and disclosure efforts on risks and challenges in addressing forced labour within own operations and associated with supply chains.

Accelerating the Impact of Our Past Achievements

Prior to the launch of the HRC, members have been long committed to promoting decent working conditions worldwide but recognise the eradication of forced labour remains a key challenge. This journey began in 2015 with CGF members coming together to drive collaboration globally and thereby address forced labour as one of the most pressing social issues of our time. This commitment was confirmed with the announcement of a new, Board-approved Social Resolution on Forced Labour, the first industry commitment of its kind. 

Following the publication of this resolution, the CGF introduced the Priority Industry Principles Against Forced Labour, which identify three of the most problematic, yet often common, employment practices across the world that can lead to cases of forced labour.  The CGF also issued a Business Call to Action in 2018 urging all businesses around the world to play their part in the fight to end all forms of forced labour in a speech from former CEO of Mars, Incorporated, Grant F. Reid, at the 2018 Global Forum on Responsible Recruitment and Employment.

Under the social sustainability pillar, CGF members initiated collaborations with several global organisations, such as the International Labour Organization, US Department of Labor, International Organization for Migration, Institute for Human Rights and Business (IHRB) and its Leadership Group for Responsible Recruitment, Fair Labor Association, Myanmar Centre for Responsible Business (MCRB), Responsible Labor Initiative, International Tourism Partnership, BTeam, Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, Seafood Task Force, and the Responsible Business Alliance, 

The CGF also coordinated several key dialogues in regions strongly impacted by forced labour, including a responsible operations and sourcing event in Bangkok with AIM-Progress & ELEVATE; the Global Forum on Responsible Recruitment and Employment in Singapore with IHRB; and several regional roundtables on responsible recruitment in Southeast Asia with IHRB and other key stakeholders, including one in Myanmar and two in Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur in 2017 and 2019. 

“As part of our wider efforts to promote human rights and decent working conditions worldwide, we acknowledge the broad societal problem of modern slavery and we strive to eradicate forced labour from our value chains. As part of our wider efforts to promote decent working conditions worldwide we will harness the power of collective action as an industry group to identify and address issues and geographies of shared concern, enhancing the efficiency of any individual company initiatives in this area”.

The Consumer Goods Forum Board of Directors

Achievements

  • CGF Launches Human Rights Coalition – Working to End Forced Labour

    As part of the CGF’s new global strategy, the Human Rights Coalition – Working to End Forced Labour (HRC) is formed to accelerate the efforts of CGF members in their fight against forced labour. The HRC seeks to uphold the consumer goods industry’s first-ever Social Resolution Against Forced Labour, which the CGF Board of Directors launched in 2015, and implement the Priority Industry Principles, developed by CGF members in 2016.

    The new Coalition is led at the Board level by Emmanuel Faber, Chairman and CEO, Danone, and Olaf Koch, Chairman of the Management Board, METRO AG. At the operational committee-level, the Coalition Co-Chairs are Brent Wilton, The Coca-Cola Company, and Veronika Pountcheva, METRO AG.

  • Third Edition of "Business Actions Against Forced Labour" Case Studies Booklet Is Published

    The CGF team revamps the Business Actions Against Forced Labour Booklet and publishes the booklet with new content under the Human Rights Coalition — Working to End Forced Labour brand. This is the third edition of the booklet to be released, with the first edition published in 2017.

  • CGF Board of Directors Issues Letter to UN Secretary General to Protect Seafarers' Wellbeing

    Members of the CGF Board of Directors published a letter addressed to the UN Secretary General Mr António Guterres, calling him to encourage governments to take immediate action to ensure consumer goods companies can continue to serve their customers with the essential goods they need and to recognise seafarers as “key workers”. This is in response to new regulatory restrictions designed to contain the spread of Covid-19 that have had a major impact on maritime supply chains and seafarers’ wellbeing.

  • The HRC Launches #SilenceIsUnacceptable Campaign for Human Rights Day 2020

    To mark annual Human Rights Day, the CGF officially launches the Human Rights Coalition – Working to End Forced Labour (HRC) with a message from the Coalition members saying #SilenceIsUnacceptable in the fight against forced labour and its CEO Co-sponsors introducing the Coalition’s objectives.

  • CGF Publishes Joint Statement from HRC and Forest Positive Coalition on Collective Commitment for Human Rights

    The CGF’s Sustainability Director, Didier Bergeret, who oversees the HRC and the Forest Positive Coalition, issues a statement on behalf of both Coalitions about their collective commitment to improving the status of human rights in the palm oil sector.

  • The HRC Publishes Maturity Journey Framework for Forced Labour-Focused HRDD Systems in Own Operations

    The HRC publishes its Forced Labour-focused Human Rights Due Diligence in Own Operations Maturity Journey Framework, the first strategic document from the HRC laying out the aligned actions members will take in their ongoing efforts to fight forced labour. The Framework maps out how HRC members will implement and improve human rights due diligence (HRDD) systems in their own operations to root out and remedy actual and potential risks for forced labour. 

  • Paul Lalli, The Coca-Cola Company, is Appointed HRC Manufacturer Co-chair

    Paul Lalli, Global VP, Human Rights, at The Coca-Cola Company, joins the HRC as Manufacturer Co-chair, after the retirement of his predecessor, Brent Wilton.

  • The HRC Signs Memorandum of Understanding with Fair Labor Association and International Organization for Migration

    The HRC signs a Memorandum of Understanding with the Fair Labor Association (FLA) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). This milestone commences a five-year technical collaboration that will help HRC members advance in their objective to help achieve fair and decent working conditions worldwide by driving individual and collective action in their businesses and supply chains to eradicate forced labour.

  • The HRC Launches People Positive Palm (P3) Project & Guidance on the Repayment of Worker-paid Recruitment Fees

    The HRC launches its People Positive Palm (P3) Project in Kuala Lumpur to fight forced labour in the Malaysian palm oil sector by combining efforts with Malaysian palm oil suppliers. The project will use the HRC’s Framework for Forced labour- Focused Human Rights Due Diligence Systems in Palm Oil Supply Chains as a key resource.

    The HRC, in collaboration with AIM-Progress, also publishes “Guidance on the Repayment of Worker-paid Recruitment Fees and Related Costs” at the seventh annual Sustainable Retail Summit in Amsterdam. 

  • The HRC Launches #CloserThanYouThink Campaign for Human Rights Day 2022

    For Human Rights Day 2022, the HRC launches its #CloserThanYouThink campaign to increase awareness of the prevalence of forced labour risks in the consumer goods industry, the value for businesses in taking action, and – importantly – offer practical solutions for how to effectively remedy actual and potential impacts.

  • The HRC Renews Collaboration with AIM-Progress

    The HRC renews its collaboration with AIM-Progress as both initiatives work to advance due diligence and ensure the responsible recruitment of workers throughout consumer goods value chains.

Download the Forced Labour Resolution in Full
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The call to action was announced by Grant Reid, CEO, Mars, Incorporated during the high level level panel at the 2018 Global Forum on Responsible Recruitment and Employment. 
Business Call to Action

In June 2018, we called upon businesses around the world to play their part in the fight to end all forms of forced labour. Issued during the 2018 Global Forum on Responsible Business and Recruitment, the call to action was made alongside the International Labour Organization, the International Organization for Migration, and with the support of the Institute for Human Rights and Business, and is a strong affirmation of our members’ commitment to strive to eradicate forced labour from global supply chains and continue not to tolerate forced labour within own operations.  

The Consumer Goods Forum Talks to Guy Ryder, ILO

Following his session at the 2018 Global Summit, we interviewed Guy Ryder, Director General of the International Labour Organization (ILO) who shared further thoughts on the future of work, the protection of workers in this future landscape, Thailand’s recent ratification of the ILO Protocol on Forced Labour, and the CGF’s business call to action just launched at the Global Forum on Responsible Recruitment and Employment. Watch the full video: 

 

Where Next?
Governance
Key Projects
Palm Oil