A Fair Price for Human Rights Due Diligence

Human rights underpin all efforts that Fairtrade takes, starting with the right to a decent standard of living and the right to work, equal pay for equal work, fair working conditions, and freedom of association and freedom from discrimination. In addition, rights-holder empowerment and changes in power relations are central to FI. Because businesses progressively seek to ensure that their own supply chains are free from human rights violations – known as a process called ‘Human Rights Due Diligence’ or HRDD – this topic is also increasingly important for Fairtrade. Fairtrade is positioned between (downstream) retailers, brands, and manufacturers, who are the main bearers of HRDD requirements, and (upstream) producer organizations that gain market access to the Global North through certification. Fairtrade therefore has a unique position vis a vis HRDD. This is a first external, empirically informed analysis of, first, the impact of Fairtrade interventions on human rights, and, second, Fairtrade’s contribution to the Human Rights Due Diligence (HRDD) of companies.