News + Projects
Scaling up Human Rights Due Diligence training
November 2024
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The Outcome Gap was pleased to participate as an expert instructor in Quizrr's new Human Rights Due Diligence (HRDD) training. This 7 module online tool has been designed as practical support for professionals in procurement, supply chain, CSR, and human rights.
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We participated in Module 5, Track Implementation and Results, talking learners through the basics of human rights indicator development, data collection and learning processes.
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What we particularly like about the whole course is how accessible and practical it is. As you’d expect from Quizrr, the emphasis throughout is on worker engagement and how to make that practical in a business context. If you're not sure where to start with HRDD, this is a good place to begin.
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Check out the online courses here and of course let us know how you found it!
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Impact metrics for consumer goods brands
November 2024
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We were delighted to attend AIM-Progress's member meeting in Luxembourg in November and present on theory of change and impact metrics.
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The Outcome Gap has been supporting AIM-Progress, the association of Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) companies, throughout 2024. Together, we have refined and are in the process of aligning on impact metrics on thematic topics including forced labour and living wage/income.
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The group is in the process of determining next steps, including the process of consultation and sharing of the metrics in due course.
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It was great to meet everyone face-to-face and further explore how companies can utilise metrics to understand their progress, priorities and areas for collaboration.
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Plus it was Kate's first trip to Luxembourg (one off the bucket list?)!
Supplier perspectives on responsible purchasing
July 2024
​We've been working the last few months in support of efforts led by the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) to understand supplier perspectives on purchasing practices in the food sector.
We know already that shortened lead times, price pressure and unreliable forecasting can all pile pressure on suppliers, which in turn increases the risk of poor working conditions and the likelihood of the worst forms of labour exploitation including forced labour.
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We've been speaking with companies in Italy and Spain about their perspectives which are too often untold. Suppliers have been talking largely about pricing strategies, but of real concern is the increasing cost of compliance with tightened EU requirements and how this new burden isn't always shared across supply chain actors.
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The full report including recommendations for all supply chain actors will be written over the autumn and we'll be sure to link it here when available.
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Cocoa union data ownership study
June 2024
​The Outcome Gap is delighted to have been selected by Fairtrade to conduct a feasibility study of data ownership in the Ghanaian cocoa sector. Working alongside partner Farmerline, we'll be exploring the market opportunity for cocoa unions to own, manage and sell their data to supply chain actors. ​
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This project has got potential to really shake up the traditional way in which data, and power, flows through supply chains. We can't wait to share findings in the autumn!
Innovation Forum: Responsible Sourcing and Ethical Trade
March 2024
​The Innovation Forum has a reputation for cutting-edge content and last week's Responsible Sourcing and Ethical Trade Forum in London was no exception.
The Outcome Gap was pleased to host two panels with an engaged and experienced audience.
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We had a heated discussion about worker voice pilots, risk assessment and building accountability with panellists from the pharmaceutical companies, Novartis and Zuellig.
Followed by a whirlwind investigation into the state of trade union-business relations with the TUC and CNV International (spoiler alert: there is still work to be done).
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As ever, great to learn from so much wisdom in one room and plenty of "impact" chat!
Social impact training - Q&A webinars now open
February 2024
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In advance of launching our new Social Impact training, we're hosting a few webinars to explain more about why we've developed these courses, what we'll cover and the expected benefits of participating. They will be a good opportunity for you to reflect on your social impact approach and needs. Come along and share your questions and ideas - it's not too late to shape the content! Hosted on zoom. Brands only please.
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Webinar #1
Monday 11th March, 4.30-5.30pm UK
Register here
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Webinar #2
Tuesday 12th March, 8.30-9.30am UK
Register here
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Webinar #3
Wednesday 13th March, 11-12am UK
Register here
OECD Side Session: Does Human Rights Due Diligence work for workers?
(And how do we know)
February 2024
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The Outcome Gap hosted a Side Session webinar of the 2024 OECD Forum on Due Diligence in the Garment and Footwear Sector, on Friday 23rd February 2024.
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In a new era of mandatory human rights due diligence (mHRDD), businesses are required to manage and improve labour conditions in their global supply chains like never before. But what does impact and improvement mean in the context of a global workforce? Is this aligned with workers' own perceptions of their status? And how can companies start to systematise listening to worker perspectives?
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We heard from Primark, Bluenumber, the Trade Union Rights Center and CNV Internationaal and got into data ownership, the role of unions and shifting away from our reliance on hard metrics. Crucially, we agreed that impact is about how people say they are impacted, and not always how we think they are.
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You can read the key takeaways and watch the video here.
Direct worker voice panel at the UN Business and Human Rights Forum
November 2023
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We were delighted to present on a panel at the 12th UN Business and Human Rights Forum in Geneva. Direct worker voice (DWV) is being increasingly recognised as a critical missing component of effective human rights due diligence so it was great to hear more about the partnership between Bluenumber, Be Slavery Free Alliance and global electronics company HP on how they're using data from workers to corroborate audit findings and steer practical improvement solutions in factories in Malaysia. We also heard from GIZ about their new initiatives in support of the implementation of the German Supply Chain Act.
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The Outcome Gap presented on some of the learnings we can draw from social assurance as the market for DWV data expands - and how we might stay alert to challenges presented by methodology, quality and results.
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It was great to be back in the UN in Geneva (UNOG) where Kate began her career at UNRISD. While the corridors of UNOG felt a bit quieter than they did 20 years ago given budget constraints faced across the United Nations, the work of the Business and Human Rights Forum is no less important.
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Special thanks to the Permanent Missions of Australia and Malaysia for hosting the session - and for the lush sandwiches.
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Measuring impact of human rights due diligence with UN Global Compact
October 2023
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The Outcome Gap presented to members of the UN Global Compact Deutschland in a webinar on the topic of measuring and reviewing the impact of your human rights due diligence approach.
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In addition to learning the German word for "theory of change" - wirkungkette! - we took some excellent questions from an engaged audience as companies grapple with the practicalities of the German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act.
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Our key message was to just get started and make a plan! We also offered tips on setting objectives, designing measurement frameworks and choosing indicators.
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Many thanks to organisers, UNGC Deutschland and TwentyFifty, for putting measurement and effectiveness at the front of your agenda with your members.
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Effective wage auditing to advance living wages
September 2023
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A new report authored by the Outcome Gap and published by ISEAL pulls together two years of research on the topic of wage auditing to advance living wages.
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In a context where many sustainability schemes are looking to move from paying a national minimum wage towards a living wage, the research examined the implications of this shift on the verification part of the assurance process. How do we know whether wages meet living wage standards?
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We heard several challenges of interpretation for auditors, relating to the core objective of the scheme (to meet a benchmark or to continually surpass it?) or around what should be incorporated in calculations (eg which in-kind benefits to measure, or how we define a working day in a piecerate context?).
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But what was really clear is the need to think differently about living wage verification. We are far from this being a supplier compliance issue. There is still so much normalisation of the concept to be done, knowledge building and support required. Instead of jumping into auditing, we need to foster ways to understand context and engage all supply chain actors in a collaborative effort to create improvements and monitoring mechanisms.
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This report is part of the ISEAL and IDH project on strengthening sustainability systems to strengthen living wage goals. ​
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The report is now available on the ISEAL website here.
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Risk factors for gender-based violence and harassment in the tea sector
September 2023
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In the wake of the BBC Panorama expose, "Sex for Work: the true cost of our tea" which aired in February 2023, it became painfully evident that the hard-fought efforts to mitigate gender-based violence and harassment (GBVH) on tea estates has not been sustained over time.
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The Outcome Gap has provided research support to this important report by lead authors The Roundtable for Sustainable Tea (THIRST), Women Working Worldwide and tea sustainability expert Michael Pennant-Jones.
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Our contribution was around data transparency and the visibility and deniability challenges raised by both social audit and commodity certification schemes.
The report is available online here.
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Modern Slavery improvement strategy
August 2023
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We were delighted to be invited by a leading British food business to review their approach to modern slavery reporting and identify areas to strengthen.
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Like many businesses, this company reports annually under the 2015 Modern Slavery Act, but feels uncertain as to whether its activities are amounting to reduced risk or change in worker circumstances. Using a theory of change lens, we assessed the measurement framework and advised on future indicators that would enable greater focus on outcome-level change.
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Organisational Theory of Change
May 2023
In 2020-21, Kate led the design of the first Theory of Change for the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI). ETI is a complex tripartite membership organisation, combining multiple "pathways" to achieve its mission. The design involved global consultation and is now being used to strengthen ETI's delivery and impact. The full Theory of Change is available here.
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Note this project was delivered while Kate was an employee at ETI. For more information about ETI's activities, please contact ETI directly.
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