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.
Region: Eastern Asia
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.
Sustainable Fisheries Partnership
Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) is a business-focused NGO working to create information tools and methodology to allow companies to directly engage with seafood suppliers. SFP operates through two main principles: information and improvement. SFP has created a database called FishSource of fisheries and aquaculture areas which contains assessments of sustainability and improvement needs. SFP helps seafood companies engage with fisheries by creating FIPs and AIPs to work together with multi-stakeholder groups for the creation and implementation of improvement plans. SFP is also collaborating with Seafish and Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program to create a risk assessment tool for social responsibility in fisheries.
Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF)
EJF conducts detailed field-based investigations, coupled with extensive background research to inform high-level advocacy directed at policy makers and key industry stake-holders. In some circumstances, EJF will provide specialist training and support, both to Government and civil society. We work in collaboration with a diverse range of stake-holders.
Solidarity Center
The Solidarity Center is the largest U.S.-based international worker rights organization helping workers attain safe and healthy workplaces, family-supporting wages, dignity on the job and greater equity at work and in their community. Allied with the AFL-CIO and working with 400-plus labor unions, NGOs, human rights defenders and community groups, the Solidarity Center assists workers across the globe as, together, they fight discrimination, exploitation and the systems that entrench poverty. It supports programs‰ÛÓe.g., trainings, education campaigns, legal aid, research and transparency initiative‰ÛÓthat help workers understand and exercise their rights, improve their working and living conditions, and build independent unions, including in the fishing and seafood sectors. The Solidarity Center has issued several publications on the fish and seafood sector, including: The Plight of Shrimp-Processing Workers of Southwestern Bangladesh (2012), Out of Sight, Out of Mind: Human Trafficking and Exploitation of Migrant Fishing Boat Workers in Thailand (2009), and The True Cost of Shrimp (2008).
Conservation International
For over 30 years, CI has been protecting nature for the benefit of global humanity. We do this through science, policy and partnerships with countries, communities and companies. Our oceans program is committed to sustainable production, ensuring that seafood is environmentally sustainable and socially responsible. We have invested significant effort in functioning as a catalyst and convener on social responsibility, driving alignment among organizations that work with businesses, governments, and civil society groups involved in the seafood sector on a shared definition and collective action plan for progress: and developing a strong and diverse community of practice, comprised of environmental and social nonprofit organizations, academic researchers, consultants, and other key experts.
Institute for Human Rights and Business (IHRB)
IHRB are an international think tank who work to improve and support business and government engagement with international standards relating to business and human rights. We have a dedicated programme on Migrant Workers and have produced a number of tools for business including the Dhaka Principles for Migration With Dignity which are used and referenced by many stakeholders globally. We have a particular focus on Responsible Recruitment and in particular the payment by many migrant workers of recruitment fees to secure employment abroad – these payments often leaving them in situations of debt bondage (an indicator of forced labour). Instead we promote The Employer Pays Principle – No worker should pay for a job. The costs of recruitment should be borne not by the worker but by the employer. IHRB also have experience across a range of other issues affecting workers and businesses.
Liberty Shared
Liberty Shared aims to prevent human trafficking through: strategic research: capture and application of information and data: legal advocacy: technological interventions: and strategic collaborations with NGOs, corporations, and financial institutions. Liberty Shared is using its systemic approach to combat slavery and environmental crimes in the fishing industry. This is done by: using research of industry structure and dynamics and the support of the financial sector: sharing key counter-trafficking data and best practices with strategic partners and industry, and channeling intelligence on slavery activities with the corporate community: championing legal and regulatory developments that obligate industry responses to receipt of new information, and improving the understanding of victim identification and protection: creating slavery education and awareness programs to enact change in all sectors of society: collaboration with database providers in the financial sector to share information relevant to anti-money laundering risk and compliance.
SCS Global Services
Innovative fishery managers, aquaculture producers, supply chain companies, governments and advocacy groups are leading the global seafood market toward sustainable best practices. SCS Global Services was the first certifier to issue a Marine Stewardship Council certificate in 1999 and performs work focused on social and environmental assessment. We provide a global diversity of clients with consulting and auditing services related to marine capture fisheries (Marine Stewardship Council, Fair Trade USA Capture Fisheries Standard), aquaculture production (Aquaculture Stewardship Council), Chain of Custody and improvement projects. We would be pleased to provide tailored consulting services including risk assessment, second party audits, supply chain mapping, stakeholder engagement and facilitation, or helping you to generate sustainability frameworks, procurement policies or other internal or external reporting tools. Examples of SCS seafood clients and projects can be found here: https://www.scsglobalservices.com/certified-clients/sustainable-seafood-certificates
FishWise
FishWise promotes the health and recovery of ocean ecosystems by providing innovative market-based tools to the seafood industry, supporting sustainability through environmentally and socially responsible business practices. For more than fifteen years, FishWise has worked closely with the seafood industry to foster leadership in sustainability. We believe that the seafood industry not only has serious impacts on the health of oceans and the welfare of its workers, but also the potential to make an enormous contribution to the health of our planet and its inhabitants. FishWise works by advancing private sector leadership, building multi-stakeholder collaboration, and producing research and knowledge. ADVANCING PRIVATE SECTOR LEADERSHIP: FishWise partners with the seafood industry to achieve some of the most ambitious responsible seafood commitments. Currently this includes partnerships with large national and regional retailers, along with independent grocery stores and mid-supply chain and producer companies. As a growing but still nimble organization, FishWise is selective in the projects it takes on, in order to maximize its capacity and ability to deliver results. BUILDING COLLABORATION AND KNOWLEDGE: FishWise sparks learning and innovation by convening government, industry, and nonprofit organizations to create new strategies for improving traceability and combating human rights abuses in seafood supply chains. We are a go-to resource for best practices, tools, and approaches recommended by diverse experts in the field. With marine and social scientists and data analysts on staff, and through strategic academic affiliations, FishWise translates leading-edge scientific information into pragmatic recommendations for a range of seafood stakeholders.
SAI Global
SAI Global can help develop a focused seafood safety, social, and sustainability program consistent with your customer, regulatory and CSR goals. We provide a range of standard certification, training, supply chain mapping, FIP measurement and social accountability audit and score card solutions tailored to business needs and supply chain expectations.