Assent Compliance is the global leader in supply chain data management, providing companies with SaaS solutions that manage third-party data to protect corporate brands, increase market accessibility, and reduce operational and financial risk. By combining leading-edge technology with extensive supply chain expertise, we deliver solutions to help companies identify and assess risk in their supply chains, and manage their data with increased efficiency. We provide thought leadership on regulatory issues and best practices through our involvement with a variety of industry bodies, associations and organizations. Through our work with the Social Responsibility Alliance, we are helping to create open-source tools that facilitate the collection of responsible sourcing data, and provide the resources and support companies need to create socially responsible supply chains.this is wide test
Archives: Organization
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Organization of Associated Producers of Large Tuna Freezers (OPAGAC)
The Organization of Associated Producers of Large Tuna Freezers (OPAGAC ) is an association of Spanish tuna supplier companies involved in tuna fishing and processing. The association currently encompasses 47 tuna purse seiner vessels operating in the three major Oceans (Atlantic, India and Pacific). They are currently working with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) on a Global Tuna fisheries improvement program (FIP ,) in the four tuna RFMOS (ICCAT IOTC, IATTC & WCPFC) for which they are currently seeking Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification. OPAGAC also implemented a new UNE standard for responsible tuna fishers which includes social standards drawn from the International Labor Organization (ILO) Convention 188. These include provisions for guaranteeing minimum wage remuneration, resting hours, medical care, prevention of occupational hazards, and social security of the crews. The right to collective bargaining is also recognized. Vessels that meet these standards and get certified by AENOR against it, are considered as Responsible Fisheries Tuna (APR ). AENOR has also developed the Chain of Custody Regulation, by which, the canning factories that get their Chain of Custody certified, will be able to label their tuna cans with APR AENOR CONFORM logo, that requires that the tuna they label as APR comes from vessels APR certified and are developing a Comprehensive FIP recognized by www.fisheryprogress.org .
Labor Safe Screen (Sustainability Incubator)
The Labor Safe Screen is designed to help seafood companies identify and reduce the risk of slavery in their supply chains. It is a 5-part framework for seafood buyers, sellers and traders to use to reduce risks in work in the seafood sector. It includes supply chain mapping, risk identification based on findings by competent authorities, surveys to collect proof of protective conditions in the workplace, and support for implementing the minimum requirements in international law (code of conduct, universal contract, grievance mechanism, and disclosure of efforts). It includes a tiered approach for screening a large number of products. Combining data from suppliers and workers is a key feature. Users of the Labor Safe Screen manage risks with quantitative scoring and produce positive coverage for their goods and the people making them.
Seafish Industry Authority (Seafish)
The Sea Fish Industry Authority (Seafish) is a Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB) set up to improve efficiency and raise standards across the UK seafood industry. Seafish is supporting the seafood industry to help eliminate unethical practices from UK seafood supply chains. This is all about harnessing the commitment of the seafood industry to respect human rights; about assessing and understanding modern slavery risks in the supply chain; acting to deal with identified risks; looking for remedies and solutions; monitoring progress and communicating best practice. Seafish has introduced a number of integrated work areas. These include:
– Establishing the Seafood Ethics Common Language Group (SECLG) to bring industry and other stakeholders together to collaboratively understand how ethical issues can be addressed across the supply chain.
– Producing 15 profiles identifying social risks in regions supplying the UK market. These profiles were aimed at informing purchasing decisions in seafood businesses.
– Raised industry awareness of ethical issues and supporting seafood businesses to comply with UK Modern Slavery legislation.
– Developed Tools for Ethical Seafood Sourcing (TESS) to signpost stakeholders to resources to help manage and reduce risks associated with labour issues and worker welfare in seafood supply chains.
– Developed and implemented the voluntary Seafish Responsible Fishing Scheme (RFS) certifying high standards of crew welfare and responsible catching practices on fishing vessels.
– Worked with the supply chain to develop the voluntary Responsible Fishing Ports Scheme which includes worker welfare.
– Produced and disseminated briefings to improve knowledge of the issues and inform key stakeholders about the latest initiative.
Plan International Thailand
Plan International Thailand has been working with communities, civil society and the government to advance children‰Ûªs rights and gender equality since 1981. Much of Thailand is well developed, however, there are a number of marginalized groups such as children of migrant workers and stateless people who our work is focused on. Our key areas of work include: ‰Û¢ Gender justice and women’s empowerment: Strengthening the participation and leadership capacity of girls and women so they can make informed decisions about their lives and reach their potential. ‰Û¢ Children on the move: Ensuring migrant children can exercise their rights to education, health care and protection. ‰Û¢ Legal status and citizenship: Helping stateless people, particularly girls, to exercise their rights and access services so they can achieve a better quality of life.
Seafood Ethics Action Alliance (SEA Alliance)
The Seafood Ethics Action Alliance (SEA Alliance) has been established by the seafood industry to provide a platform for collective engagement, to share information on emerging issues, agree best practice solutions, and provide a forum for collective pre-competitive action where it is not better fulfilled by an existing organisation. The SEA Alliance co-ordinates pre-competitive ethics work for the UK seafood industry and addresses key ethical issues in shared supply chains, as identified within the Seafish Seafood Ethics Common Language Group (SECLG). It does this via scheduled meetings, information sharing between members, and where necessary, the co-ordination of working groups to implement required actions. Engagement takes into consideration the PAS 1550:2017 Code of Practice on Exercising due diligence in establishing the legal origin of seafood products and marine ingredients, and the BRC IUU Advisory Note (2015), together with meaningful implementation of ILO 188 and other appropriate instruments. The group is predominantly made up of seafood retailers, processors and food service representatives in the UK but participation in the alliance is open to any commercial market organisation based in the UK which source seafood nationally or internationally. Participation requires a commitment to positively engage in pre-competitive action, adhering to competition law and to maintain the confidentiality of discussions. Whilst the group is industry led, Seafish provides the secretariat. Advocacy will be conducted by industry federations and associations using the existing infrastructure and experience of the Seafood Industry Alliance, the British Retail Consortium and the British Hospitality Association.
Tools for Ethical Seafood Sourcing (TESS)
Tools for Ethical Seafood Sourcing (TESS) is a web tool that points you to a whole host of useful (and free) resources which can help businesses address social responsibility challenges in their seafood supply chains. TESS launched in March 2017 as a one-stop-resource-shop. It starts with an overview of the social issues impacting on the seafood supply chain. Seafish recognised that with so many different sources of information available on ethical issues, which range from identifying issues through to international standards and ‰Û÷on the ground‰Ûª initiatives working on the issues, it can be challenging for seafood businesses to understand this complex landscape and then decide what they need to do to identify issues and make improvements. This is where TESS can help. TESS charts a straight-forward business improvement cycle. All the featured resources (presented as interactive records) are linked to one of six steps in this cycle which has been designed to help systematically tackle issues in seafood supply chains. All the information is publicly available on external websites, so you are taken to the source of the information. The benefit of TESS is that it brings all these resources together in one place. As well as following the six step approach there is a fully searchable database so that you can find all this information on initiatives, standards and organisations very simply.
Conservation Alliance for Seafood Solutions
The Conservation Alliance for Seafood Solutions is a global community of stakeholders working together to improve the sustainability and responsibility of seafood supply chains for our ocean and the people who depend on it. The Alliance envisions a world with an abundance of seafood in an environment where workers, communities, and our ocean thrive. Its goal is that by 2030, at least 75% of global seafood production is environmentally sustainable or making verifiable improvement, and safeguards are in place to ensure social responsibility. The Alliance finds efficiencies in the sustainable seafood community and makes sure that diverse voices from across seafood supply chains are included, so that we can accelerate and increase our collective impact.
U.S. Department of Labor – Bureau of International Labor Affairs
ILAB’s mission is to promote a fair global playing field for workers in the United States and around the world by enforcing trade commitments, strengthening labor standards, and combating international child labor, forced labor, and human trafficking. The bureau is comprised of three offices: the Office of Child Labor, Forced Labor, and Human Trafficking, the Office of Trade and Labor Affaris, and the Office of International Relations and Economic Research. For more information about the work of each office, see https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ilab/about-us/mission.
Naturland associations for organic agriculture
Naturland is one of the major international associations for organic agriculture and promotes organic farming worldwide. Currently over 65,000 farmers, bee-keepers, fish farmers and fishers in 58 countries are working according to the Naturland Standards. The Naturland organic agriculture certification program is unique in that, unlike other organic certifications (e.g. the USDA’s National Organic), Naturland has included social responsibility into the standard with equal weight. In November 2006, the Naturland Assembly of Delegates adopted the first Standards for Sustainable Capture Fishery. The Naturland Wildfish certification standards approach sustainability holistically and include ecological, social, and environmental dimensions. Naturland Wildfish Social Responsibility standards include: – respect of basic human rights as listed in UN conventions and ILO conventions and/or recommendations; – freedom to accept or reject employment; -freedom of association and/or access to trade unions; – equal treatment and opportunities; – the complete absence of child labor; – basic health and safety provisions; – employment contracts; – fair wages; – payment in kind; – fair working hours; and – basic coverage for maternity, sickness, and retirement.
Seafood Slavery Risk Tool
The Seafood Slavery Risk Tool (SSRT) was designed to Inform businesses about the risks of forced labor, human trafficking, and hazardous child labor in fisheries. The Risk Tool‰Ûªs methodology is being revised to identify the risks of forced labor, human trafficking, and hazardous child labor in seafood systems, including the fishing, farming and processing sectors.
The Pew Charitable Trusts
The Pew Charitable Trusts‰Ûª ending illegal fishing project is working to ensure a sustainable future for our oceans by combatting illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. As unscrupulous operators seek to maximize profits by exploiting fish stocks or loopholes in management they frequently pay little attention to the safety and working conditions for vessel crews. Fortunately, the seafood industry can implement tools that help tackle these issues together. Pew is bringing together stakeholders from governments, authorities, and the seafood industry, to change behaviors and significantly reduce IUU fishing by improving the oversight and knowledge of fishing activities. An element of this includes entry into force of the International Maritime Organization‰Ûªs Cape Town Agreement (CTA), an international treaty which sets minimum safety standards and inspection criteria for fishing vessels. Harmonized implementation of the CTA, alongside the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations‰Ûª Agreement Port State Measures, which aims to prevent illegally caught fish from entering ports, and the International Labour Organization‰Ûªs Work in Fishing Convention, which establishes the base requirement for decent working and living conditions on board ships, will reap rewards. The seafood industry is in a unique position to help, it can advocate for governments to put such policies in place. By mandating that vessels can be uniquely identified and tracked, catch subject to port controls and transshipment activity monitored, tracking and tracing the people and product in supply chains should be possible. By doing this opportunities for the exploitation of fisheries and fishers will be reduced.