Doing more on human rights and ethical products

Whether knowingly or unknowingly, retailers end up ‘encouraging’ human rights abuses. An investigation by the Guardian found that prawns sold in leading UK supermarkets are in fact produced by slaves in Thailand where workers, under threat of extreme violence, do not get paid.

Incidentally, only last week the US state department relegated Thailand to the lowest rank in the Trafficking in Persons (TiP) report.

“Businesses must be aware that ethical sourcing and transparency about their supply chains must be part of their policy, not an add-on,” stated the Consumer Affairs Minister, Jenny Willott.

Monister Willot ordered the British Retail Consortium (BRC) to produce new guidance on urgent steps to improve transparency about human rights abuses linked to several goods such as food, drink and clothing.

Ipsos Mori figures published by the Department for Business show that more than four in five (83%) shoppers have concerned about ethical standards of the products they  buy.

More HERE