Search Results

Primers | Tuesday August 23, 2022

10 Human Rights Priorities for the Food, Beverage, and Agriculture Sector

Preview

Human rights are inherent to all human beings. They are defined and established in more than 80 international legal instruments and define the fundamental protections of human dignity, needs, and freedoms, such as food, housing, privacy, personal security, and democratic participation. Since the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) in 1948, the responsibility to protect human rights has primarily fallen on governments. Beginning in the early 2000s, however, it became increasingly clear that the freedoms enshrined in the framework could also be violated—and promoted—by the private sector.

In 2011, the UN Human Rights Council unanimously endorsed the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), the first international instrument to assign companies the responsibility to respect human rights.

The Guiding Principles state that companies must refrain from negatively impacting rights even when governments are failing to create or enforce necessary laws and that those victims of corporate abuses must have access to effective remedy.

As part of this responsibility, the Guiding Principles require companies to actively identify and manage the negative human rights impacts that they may cause directly and those to which they contribute through their business practices and relationships. There are several key actions a company can take as part of this due diligence cycle: conduct a human rights assessment to determine which potential human rights impacts are most salient to their business, develop and publish a human rights policy to communicate expectations to stakeholders and business partners, ensure they have robust stakeholder engagement processes in place to support ongoing monitoring of potential or actual impacts and proactive action or remedy.

This issue brief identifies the 10 most relevant, urgent, and probable human rights impacts for businesses operating in the food, beverage, and agriculture (FBA) sector. The information here is gathered from BSR’s direct engagement with FBA companies, as well as our 30 years of experience helping companies in all sectors manage their human rights risks. This sector spans all aspects of the global food system, from agriculture to transport, packaging, and retail. It nourishes the world’s population and connects economies in an expansive global value chain.

Yet, as with all complex industries and supply chains, the FBA sector has adverse impacts on people and the environment across the value chain—from farm level to retail and everything in between. While global food systems proved to be resilient during the COVID-19 pandemic, the economic effects exacerbated inequalities and acute food insecurity for the most vulnerable, demonstrating the structural nature of some of these adverse impacts.¹

The FBA supply chain is also responsible for 21–37 percent of GHG emissions every year, which means the sector is a key contributor to climate change.² As the world’s population is expected to grow to 10 billion by 2050, the demand for food will intensify, which may further strain the global food system and exacerbate existing inequalities, human rights risks, and environmental degradation. Understanding the human rights risks and impacts across this complex and necessary system will help those companies within the various industries that make up the FBA sector begin to unpack what contributions they can make to mitigating the negative impacts and seizing on opportunities to advance human rights for all.

Primers | Thursday August 18, 2022

10 Human Rights Priorities for the Luxury Sector

Preview

Human rights are inherent to all human beings. They are defined and established in more than 80 international legal instruments and define the fundamental protections of human dignity, needs, and freedoms, such as food, housing, privacy, personal security, and democratic participation. Since the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) in 1948, the responsibility to protect human rights has primarily fallen on governments. Beginning in the early 2000s, however, it became increasingly clear that the freedoms enshrined in the framework could also be violated—and promoted—by the private sector. In 2011, the UN Human Rights Council unanimously endorsed the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), the first international instrument to assign companies the responsibility to respect human rights.

The Guiding Principles state that companies must refrain from negatively impacting rights even when governments are failing to create or enforce necessary laws and that those victims of corporate abuses must have access to an effective remedy.

As part of this responsibility, the Guiding Principles require companies to actively identify and manage the negative human rights impacts that they may cause directly and those to which they contribute through their business practices and relationships. There are several key actions a company can take as part of this due diligence cycle: conduct a human rights assessment to determine which potential human rights impacts are most salient to their business, develop and publish a human rights policy to communicate expectations to stakeholders and business partners, ensure they have robust stakeholder engagement processes in place to support ongoing monitoring of potential or actual impacts and proactive action or remedy.

This issue brief identifies the 10 most relevant, urgent, and probable human rights impacts for businesses operating in the luxury sector. The information here is gathered from BSR’s direct engagement with luxury sector companies, as well as our 30 years of experience helping companies in all sectors manage their human rights risks.

The luxury sector comprises a wide range of businesses and activities, from manufacturing, including raw material production and processing, retailing, and distribution, to marketing and advertising of luxury goods. These include jewelry and watches, apparel, accessories, and eyewear.

While each of these different business activities will have its own human rights profile and challenges, this brief highlights universal risks for companies operating in the luxury sector. This spans the design and concept stage, sourcing and mining of raw materials ranging from cotton to exotic animal skins to gemstones, processing and manufacturing, packaging, and retailing, and disposal and destruction of unsold inventory, encompassing all the workers and local communities involved.

Blog | Wednesday August 17, 2022

Inside BSR: Q&A with Ellinor Haggebrink

Preview

Tell us a bit about your background. Where are you from, and where are you based? What is your favorite hobby?

Born and raised in Sweden, I currently share my time between Copenhagen and Berlin. An increasingly flexible job culture that facilitates dynamic lifestyles has been one upside of the pandemic! Although an unusual set-up, it is not that surprising as traveling has always been my biggest hobby. Since childhood, I have constantly enjoyed exploring new places, which has given me some great experiences around the globe, such as milking cows on a kibbutz in Israel, working as a barista in Dublin, and waitressing on a beach in the Dominican Republic.

This has become less frequent in the past few years due to the pandemic, and in lockdowns, I had to find alternative solutions to keep the travel bug at bay. I started to “travel” via cuisine, by cooking foods from different parts of the world—a perfect combination with another hobby of mine!

How did you first get involved in sustainable business? How long have you been at BSR? What is your current role, and what does that entail?

Backpacking across five continents has opened my eyes to structural inequalities around the globe. Having said that, it has always been important for me to have a job that contributes to societal change. When it was time to (temporarily) put down the backpack, I decided to tie these dots together through a degree in Political Science at Lund University, Sweden.

I joined BSR in February as manager of ESG investing in the Financial Services team. Previously, I worked in the responsible investment industry, advising institutional investors on how to incorporate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors into investment decisions. Engaging investee companies to improve their management of the most material ESG risks is also what drew me to BSR—an opportunity to create impact by working directly with member companies.

My role at BSR is a new position due to an increased demand for knowledge around ESG, not only from investors but just as much from issuers. I work together with our financial services members to incorporate ESG and responsible investment priorities into strategy and reporting, and I support non-financial members on how to enhance sustainability by applying the investor perspective.

What are some interesting projects that you get to work on as part of your role at BSR? What do you enjoy about them?

I provide ongoing support to private equity firms on integrating ESG considerations into the investment process, including guiding members through the landscape of financial instruments for corporate impact and providing insights on how ESG can be tied to executive compensation. The financial sector plays a crucial role in the world’s economy and has substantial leverage over all other industries and business activities. I’m proud to contribute to steering investments toward alignment with the SDGs and other sustainability frameworks in my daily work.

One thing that has taken up some of my time since joining is educating non-financial members on the relevance of ESG ratings and how these are used by investors. I feel inspired when I can reach out to high-growth companies that are often early in their ESG journey and nudge them in the right direction.

What issues are you passionate about and why? How does your work with BSR reflect that?

I have always been passionate about justice, which is closely connected to sustainability in my book. Since I joined the responsible investment industry, the importance of ESG has been climbing higher up on the agenda, but we need to roll up our sleeves even more. Business can play a vital role here, and allocation of capital is a strong action.

At the same time, the last decade has seen many positive developments and increased awareness of ESG from both investors and investee companies. The fact that the field is now becoming increasingly regulated both in Europe and the US underlines the importance of the work we do.

Besides knowing from an early age that I wanted a job with an agenda that drives positive change, I have always been attracted by working in dynamic and diverse teams with colleagues from all over the world. BSR ticks both boxes: I’m grateful to have found a job that allows me to connect with an amazingly passionate, skilled, and international bunch of people to develop business and personal relationships within a strongly purpose-driven organization.

People

Hansika Iyer

Preview

Hansika works with BSR consumer product member companies on sustainability management projects.

Prior to joining BSR, Hansika managed apparel material and product development at Reebok. She also advised the senior leadership team on sustainability strategy and developed an internal sustainability education program. She has an extensive background in sustainable fashion, including designing a zero waste activewear collection, researching regenerative textile solutions, speaking at the Copenhagen Fashion Summit on achieving gender equality in the fashion industry, and consulting for a nonprofit supporting artisan communities in South America.

Hansika has a BS in Fiber Science and Apparel Design with a minor in Sustainability Sciences from Cornell University. She speaks English, Tamil, French, and Spanish. 

People

Meghan Grever

Preview

Meghan supports BSR’s member companies within the consumer products sector. She focuses on healthcare and food, beverage, and agriculture.

Prior to joining BSR, Meghan worked in pharmaceutical advertising, managing strategic marketing activities for new-to-market products, emerging therapies, and well-established treatments for various medical issues. She also consulted for the Food and Agriculture Organization on strategic messaging and communications for programs focused on bolstering sustainability and practical solutions in food value chains via the reduction of food loss and waste. She also interned at the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, where she focused on climate mitigation and reporting transparency.

Meghan has an Executive Master in Sustainability Leadership (EMSL) from Arizona State University and a BA in Communications (Journalism) from Temple University. She is a US Green Building Council-certified TRUE Zero Waste Advisor and has a Sustainable Resource Management Certification, accredited by the National Standards Board of the National Recycling Coalition.

People

Trine Rosenberg

Preview

As Office Coordinator, Trine provides administrative support for the BSR Copenhagen office. She supports the People & Culture Team, administration, events, accounting processes, human resources coordination, and IT support.

Prior to joining BSR, Trine worked as lead of the conference unit at a Danish research institution, where she coordinated events in close cooperation with the researchers. Before that, Trine worked as a PA/secretary at a larger Danish member organization for private businesses and employers that aimed to provide the best possible corporate conditions for their member companies.

People

Jen Stark

Preview

Jen serves as a director for BSR's Inclusive Business practice.

She is a strategy development and implementation expert at complex health and humanitarian organizations with 20+ years of experience. At BSR, she relaunched the Inclusive Business practice to meet the needs of companies navigating shifting regulation, policy, and litigation, alongside evolving business needs in the U.S. and around the globe.  

Prior to joining BSR, Jen directed investments at the Tara Health Foundation to advance gender and racial equity through the private sector, including historic progress on paid family and medical leave, reproductive health, and other workplace protections. Before working in philanthropy, she founded the corporate relations program at Planned Parenthood Federation of America. She also managed the disaster fundraising team at the American Red Cross, coordinating large scale efforts to responsibly raise and deploy hundreds of millions of dollars. She is frequently cited in business press on flashpoint topics and is an advisor to Gauge.ai, the University of Michigan’s Erb Institute, and GoFundMe’s Compassion Leadership Network. 

Jen holds a BA in Economics and Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is based in the greater Boston area with her family, where she also plays cello in a community orchestra.   

People

Samone Nigam

Preview

Samone works with BSR member companies in human rights and technology, with a focus on the impact of technologies on marginalized communities.

Prior to joining BSR, Samone conducted research for a variety of agencies including the World Wide Web Foundation, UN Women, and the Office of the NYC Public Advocate. Her research takes a social justice focus informed by her experience in the nonprofit sector working directly with underrepresented populations like the LGBTQI+ community, immigrants and asylum seekers, sex workers, survivors of domestic abuse and sexual assault, and people seeking safe abortion.

Samone holds a master’s degree in human rights from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and a bachelor’s degree in community studies from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

People

Claudio Formisano

Preview

Claudio leads BSR’s portfolio on addressing modern slavery, human trafficking, and forced labor. He develops guidance for companies seeking to prevent and mitigate human trafficking and forced labor risks and advances policies to scale impact through BSR’s collaborative initiatives like Tech Against Trafficking, the Global Business Coalition Against Human Trafficking, and Building Responsibly.

He brings almost two decades of years of experience in managing multidisciplinary programs on criminal justice, human rights, and security in multilateral settings. Prior to joining BSR, he worked at the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), establishing and leading the Secretariat of the UN Inter-Agency Coordination Group Against Trafficking in Persons (ICAT). As a senior advisor to the Special Representative for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), he oversaw country needs assessments in North America, Europe, Asia, and North Africa.

Claudio holds a MA in Advanced International Studies from the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna, Austria and an Executive Certificate from Harvard JFK School of Government in building and leading diverse organizations. He speaks English, French, Spanish, and Italian.

People

Mollie Ring

Preview

Mollie is BSR’s Social Media and Digital Manager and is based out of the San Francisco office. In this role, Mollie leads the development and execution of BSR’s social media and digital strategy and supports the strategic planning of targeted marketing campaigns.

Prior to joining BSR, Mollie led her own strategic communications firm helping nonprofits and social enterprises to more effectively tell their story and scale their impact. Her areas of expertise range from entrepreneurship and social innovation to clean energy and human trafficking.

Mollie holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University and a BA from Vassar College in Political Science.