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Search PARIS and BRUSSELS, 11th January 2023 — The Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) Human Rights Coalition (HRC) and AIM-Progress are excited to announce they have reaffirmed their commitment to collaboratively address human rights challenges in the consumer goods industry – notably around forced labour – to open up new opportunities for greater impact, respect for workers’ rights, and to create decent working conditions in supply chains and operations worldwide.
As multistakeholder initiatives bringing manufacturers, retailers and suppliers together to drive positive change in the consumer goods industry, the HRC and AIM-Progress are both working to positively impact people’s lives through respect for human rights. Prior to the launch of the HRC in 2020, AIM-Progress collaborated with the CGF’s social sustainability pillar to support the launch of the industry’s first Social Resolution on Forced Labour, the development of the CGF Priority Industry Principles Against Forced Labour, and collective engagement with supply chain actors in Thailand and Malaysia. This history of best practice-sharing and collaboration will continue as the two groups work to make human rights due diligence and responsible recruitment the norm in the industry.
In 2022, their collaboration led to the publication of practical “Guidance on the Repayment of Worker-paid Recruitment Fees and Related Costs,” an important resource that businesses can use to uphold the second Priority Industry Principle Against Forced Labour, which states no worker should pay for a job.
In 2023, this collaboration will continue to drive action against forced labour by advancing responsible recruitment practices in the industry. To increase impact and avoid duplication, both organisations will share best practices and learnings, collaborate on guidance, and co-organise events.
Didier Bergeret, Director, Sustainability, The Consumer Goods Forum, said, “AIM-Progress has been a critical partner of The Consumer Goods Forum for many years, and we are pleased to see this relationship continue with the Human Rights Coalition. As cases of forced labour are increasing globally, it is more important than ever for businesses to come together and make due diligence and responsible recruitment the norm. Forced labour must be a top priority for all businesses and we look forward to working with AIM-Progress to ensure it remains top-of-mind in the industry.”
Brian Kramer, Senior Director, Sustainable Sourcing, PepsiCo, Inc., and co-chair of AIM-Progress, said, “Embedding responsible recruitment requires changes beyond any one company or organisation and so collaboration is critical to deliver real-world impact. We look forward to another fruitful year of partnership between AIM-Progress and CGF organisations and members.”
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About AIM-Progress
AIM-Progress is a forum of 45 leading Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) manufacturers and common suppliers, assembled to enable and promote responsible sourcing practices and sustainable supply chains. We focus on brand and supplier capability building, mutual recognition of audits and other types of supplier assessments and leveraging influence in supply chains. Our human rights working groups focus on responsible recruitment, grievance mechanisms, living wages and impact measurement. Through our work, we positively impact people’s lives and ensure respect for human rights. For more information, please visit: https://aim-progress.com/
About The Consumer Goods Forum
The Consumer Goods Forum (“CGF”) is a global, parity-based industry network that is driven by its members to encourage the global adoption of practices and standards that serves the consumer goods industry worldwide. It brings together the CEOs and senior management of some 400 retailers, manufacturers, service providers, and other stakeholders across 70 countries, and it reflects the diversity of the industry in geography, size, product category and format. Its member companies have combined sales of EUR 3.5 trillion and directly employ nearly 10 million people, with a further 90 million related jobs estimated along the value chain. It is governed by its Board of Directors, which comprises more than 55 manufacturer and retailer CEOs. For more information, please visit: www.theconsumergoodsforum.com
About the Human Rights Coalition
The CGF Human Rights Coalition is a CEO-led Coalition of Action from The Consumer Goods Forum. As an initiative of 30 of the world’s largest consumer goods companies, the HRC is committed to helping achieve fair and decent working conditions worldwide by eradicating forced labour from its supply chains. The work of the HRC continues the CGF’s long history of engagement on the issue of forced labour within consumer goods supply chains by building on the CGF’s Social Resolution on Forced Labour, the first of its kind in the industry; its Priority Industry Principles, and ongoing relationships with key stakeholders in the industry. For more information about the HRC, visit www.tcgfsocial.com
Contact
For additional information, please contact:
Louise Herring
Executive Director
AIM-Progress
[email protected]
Didier Bergeret
Director, Sustainability
The Consumer Goods Forum
Social Sustainability (Human Rights)
Madelaine VanDerHeyden
Manager, Communications
The Consumer Goods Forum
[email protected]
