Launching our Sustainable Sourcing Policy with Rainforest Aliance
Our latest step in tackling the social and environmental issues along the natural rubber supply chain is to focus our attention to the 3rd party supply. We recently engaged with Rainforest Alliance in a programme to map sustainability risks within our 3rd party supply chain and develop a Sustainable Sourcing Policy. We’re pleased to share that this policy has been extended to our suppliers, with the criteria offered as a benchmark to drive proactive and positive change.
This is an important step towards building coherency in policy and practice, and enforcement of protections for human rights, labour rights, and the environment across the natural rubber supply chain. This policy comprehensively addresses the following areas:
- Compliance to applicable national law and regulations
- Respectful working conditions
- No forced labour, no child labour
- No discrimination
- Respect freedom of association
- Respect right for collective bargaining
- Protection of land use rights of communities and traditional peoples
- Protection of indigenous peoples’ rights and free, prior and informed consent (FPIC)
- Respect of environmental values and minimisation of negative impacts
- No deforestation, peat protection, and no exploitation (NDPE)
- Protection and wherever possible restoration of High Conservation Values (HCVs)
- Enhanced livelihoods for smallholders and their communities wherever possible
- Continuous improvement
An implementation manual will be distributed before August 2020. This document will provide a clear action plan to ensure compliance with this policy which we expect our suppliers to wholeheartedly work toward. Throughout this process, we encourage extensive consultation between our companies.
We stand at a critical juncture where our commitment to ensuring that measures of heightened ethical standards, appropriate management systems to ensure compliance with laws and regulations, and shared responsibility in contributing to sustainable development are built into our daily operations.
