25 July 2016

Delivering responsible sourcing in practice: an integrated approach

Many supply chain companies have made commitments to responsible sourcing of forest and agricultural commodities. These cover issues such as deforestation, biodiversity loss, water use, land conflicts, community development, human rights, child labour and treatment of workers.

Implementing these commitments in practice is often challenging because responsible sourcing commitments relate to production and many supply chain actors have little or no contact with producers. 

This briefing provides an introduction to the three main approaches companies can use: certification, legal compliance and direct engagement.

This document is part of a series of briefing notes about responsible sourcing and production.