Library of Tools to Support Human Rights Due Diligence Process

The Palm Oil Collaboration Group (POCG) has launched an online library of tools to support companies looking to adopt a Human Rights Due Diligence (HRDD) process in their own operations and supply chains.

The Palm Oil Collaboration Group brings together more than 30 companies from all stages of the palm oil supply chain, including producers, refiners, traders, manufacturers and retailers, to accelerate effective implementation of No deforestation, No Peat Expansion, No Exploitation (NDPE) commitments in palm oil. The HRDD process supports companies in delivering No Exploitation commitments as part of their NDPE policies.

Human Rights Due Diligence is an ongoing management process to identify, prevent, mitigate and account for how companies address their adverse human rights impacts, which any business must apply to meet its responsibility to respect human rights. The digital library provides companies with practical resources developed by various organisations to support each step of the HRDD process or that support all of the four steps:

1. Tools to Identify actual and potential adverse human rights impacts​
2. Tools to Address the identified impacts & Embed human rights considerations into existing processes, systems and departments​
3. Tools to Track the effectiveness of the actions taken to understand if adverse human rights impacts are being addressed​
4. Tools to Communicate​ on the actions being taken to address the risks and impacts, and the effectiveness of those actions.​
5. Comprehensive HRDD Tools that encompass virtually all steps of the process

“Collaboration is essential when dealing with complex social issues. The HRDD approach includes important elements, such as placing risk to people at the heart of decision making, building meaningful stakeholder engagement, and embedding action in a company’s processes and across departments. The library supports these principles,” said Natasha Schwarzbach, Sustainable Commodities at PepsiCo, POCG convenor.

 

The Social Issues Working Group of the POCG, which has developed the library, was started in response to a growing realisation of the need to work together to find ways to address systemic social issues in the sector.

 

“Global expectations of responsible business are increasing, and we believe this library of tools can help equip companies of all sizes to take action. Next, we’re keen to collaborate across industry initiatives to help focus human rights due diligence support in the palm oil sector,” said Charlene Lin, Sustainable Sourcing Manager, Mars, convenor of the Social Issues Working Group.   

“ A robust HRDD approach is essential for companies to fully embed human rights and labour rights in their own operations and their supply chain. By making this library publicly available we aim to support companies in their journey and accelerate sustainable change,” said Claudine Musitelli, Social Impact Director, Unilever, convenor of the Social Issues Working Group. 

The POCG is convened by PepsiCo and Cargill with member companies convening different working groups, including Social Issues, NDPE, PPBC and independent verification. Proforest has been providing technical coordination and support for the POCG since the collaboration was established in 2019.

“We are very open to adding more resources if organisations have developed UNGP-aligned HRDD tools with practical components, such as guidance questions, checklists, indicators or other instrument ,” said Emanuela Ranieri, Principal Project Manager – Social Responsibility and Human Rights at Proforest.

"Our vision is of a sustainable palm oil sector where human rights and labor rights are respected, where workers and smallholder farmers have decent working conditions and resilient livelihoods while nature is protected and restored,” said Emily Kunen, Global Sustainable Sourcing Leader, Palm Oil & Seafood at Nestlé. “We believe that to ensure human rights are respected, companies need to implement a HRDD approach to assess, address and report on risks while tackling root causes through collective action. This library provides the tools to help make this a reality across the sector.”