The GSCP brings together retailers, brands and importers with NGOs and trade unions to develop shared tools, guidance and training to improve labour standards in global supply chains. While led by businesses, it incorporates non-profit expertise and perspectives to help ensure standards meaningfully address social issues.

1. The Big Picture

2. M ELISSA’ S MESSAGE ...
“One of the advantages, apart from being EU‐based
ourselves, is a lot of our members are European
or international organizations. I would say the
UK is the most progressive nation in seafood and
that it will be more difficult rolling SSC out in
Europe, but we will have something that works to
take forward. For those international
companies, it will surely be a lot less daunting if
their UK representative has already done it.”

3. SSC AIMS :
W HAT ’ S RELEVANT #1?
Promote sustainable seafood consumption
Encourage UK consumers to eat a wider variety of
sustainable seafood, and to introduce species to its
stores and restaurants that are currently underutilized
or discarded
Support the sustainable use of unwanted discarded
species’ trimmings and offal in the manufacture of
fishmeal
Use harmonized seafood labeling based on agreed
standards to provide consumers with accurate
information on sustainability

4. SSC AIMS :
W HAT ’ S RELEVANT #2?
Require fishermen, where possible, to collect catch and
discard information for the seafood sourced by coalition
members and pass this information to government
authorities for use in scientific assessments
Adhere to a new voluntary industry code of conduct
agreed by the coalition until sufficient management
measures and labeling rules are in place
Influence changes in policy at UK, EU and international
level
Build national and global alliances
Inform the public on seafood

5. A IMS OF THE PRESENTATION
1. To consider competition law and the implications for
companies that collaborate with their competitors
2. To inform the group of the various approaches
around the world that have tackled collaborative
working on sustainability issues.
3. To share case studies of groups that have worked to
set up voluntary codes or standards
4. To build understanding of success and failure, barriers
to change, what needs to happen.
5. To facilitate a discussion on lessons for the SSC.

6. C ONTENT
1. Drivers of change
2. Competition Law
3. Other approaches and their governance
4. Case studies: Voluntary standards
5. Success and failure... The barriers to change

7. The drivers and issues move fast…

8. T HE GLOBAL ECONOMY
Time

9. C ONSUMER SPENDING
Time

10. C ONSUMER CONFIDENCE
Time

11. 11 A GRI -F OOD T RADE F LOWS
(SELECTED COUNTRIES, 2006 , US$ M ILLION)
466
China Canada
658
3,476 12,336
14,237
2,151
607 71 United States 135 534
1,942 8,079
141 8,619
69
Brazil Mexico
5
* Note: Used SITC (Rev. 3) 01 (Food and live animals) category; China includes Hong Kong and Macao, SAR; trade between Canada and Brazil, and China and Mexico is not
presented for brevity’s sake (each amounts to smaller than US$400 Million); Based on the exporting country’s reports.
Source: UN Comtrade

12. More spent on brand integrity than on
development aid.
Anti global NGOs paint everything black
Name and shame = knee jerk behaviour
Product integrity now competitive

13. THE RETAILERS ARE IN
CHARGE
Hartman
Group 2010

14. THE TOP 10 FOOD RETAILERS
Rank Company Food Sales, Banner Sales, Grocery
€bn €bn %
1 Wal‐Mart 214 330 65
2 Carrefour 88 112 78
3 Tesco 56 75 75
4 Schwarz 54 63 85
Group
5 Kroger 49 57 86
6 Aldi 49 54 90
7 Walgreens 48 52 93
8 Seven & I 44 62 71
9 AEON 43 54 80
Source: Planet Retail:
2009 10 Rewe Group 43 49 89

15. The public debate

16. The institutional debate

17. Trust

22. Competition Law

23. 2: C OMPETITION L AW
This law promotes and maintains market
competition by regulating anti‐competitive
conduct
Known in the United States as ‘antitrust’ law
In Europe there are 4 main policy areas:
Cartels, Monopolies, Mergers, State Aid
When working together on sustainability policy,
competition law should not apply
See notes on Treaty on the functioning of the
European Union, Article 101 and 102

24. ANTITRUST GUIDELINES :
E XAMPLE
The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil
Participation in RSPO is voluntary. No one will be pressured to
participate in it.
Members of RSPO shall remain free at all times to join other initiatives
on sustainable agriculture and shall not be limited in any respect in the
ways they decide to conduct their business.
Membership of RSPO shall be open to all companies/organisations
within the membership categories specified in its Statutes and By‐laws.
RSPO will not be used in any manner as a vehicle for participating
companies/organisations or individuals to discuss or seek agreement on
any of the subjects mentioned under paragraph C) herein. (see notes)
It is important to keep in mind that no formal agreement needs to be
reached to run afoul of antitrust or competition laws.
No competitively sensitive information will be exchanged among RSPO
members.

25. 3: O THER APPROACHES AND
THEIR GOVERNANCE
a) Multi stakeholder organisations ‐ Roundtables
b) The International Social and Environmental
Accreditation and Labeling Alliance ‐ ISEAL
c) Business driven approaches with non‐profit
advice
d) Business driven approaches
e) International organisations

26. PROLIFERATION

27. M ORE ON G OVERNANCE OF
COLLABORATIVE APPROACHES
A balanced and effective decision making body,
supported by a secretariat
• A decision making body is required
• Participants can be elected, chosen or volunteered
depending on the needs of the organisation.
• However the composition is arrived at, it should
reflect the interests of the different stakeholder
groups.
• A permanent secretariat that can execute the
wishes of the decision making body will help
enable consistent progress.

28. 3( A ) M ULTI STAKEHOLDER
ORGANISATIONS
They “have emerged in response to
governance gaps in which regulatory,
judicial, and broader economic and
political systems have failed”
John Ruggie, Special Representative of the Secretary‐General of
the United Nations (SRSG)
Improving the human rights performance of business through
multi‐stakeholder initiatives: summary report, November
6th‐7th 2007

29. R OUNDTABLES
PALM OIL AND SOY
Started after Migros contacted Bruno Manser in 1999 – he
then involved WWF. In December 2001, the first
sustainable palm oil was imported by Migros from Ghana
In 2002 others became involved including Sainsbury’s and
Unilever
In 2004 the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil was
formed
In 2005 the Roundtable for Responsible Soy was formed by
WWF, Monsanto, Cargill and others

30. R OUNDTABLES :
WHAT ’ S GOOD
Because they are multi stakeholder initiatives, they
bring credibility, accountability and transparency in
the supply chain by bringing the different actors to
the table
The agreement of voluntary production standards
The outputs are more likely to work as all key actors
of the supply chain are engaged
They can reach across frontiers and truly tackle global
problems
They can evolve into independent certification
systems to facilitate responsible purchasing
World Wide Fund for Nature Conservation (WWF)

31. R OUNDTABLES :
WHAT ’ S NOT SO GOOD #1
• The commitments of participants must be clear
with a robust framework for compliance.
• Without clarity and the ability to hold companies
to account, voluntary initiatives can become little
more than public relations tools for some of their
participants.
• Legislation is also necessary to protect human
rights and ensure a level playing field for
companies.
Amnesty International

32. R OUNDTABLES :
WHAT ’ S NOT SO GOOD #2
• Complaints procedures have tended to be weak
• Avoidance of the effective tactic of negative publicity
to exert pressure on large corporations.
• Multiple weak, ineffective collaboration in the same
sector dilutes focus and resources
• Strong, dominant organisations with high compliance
costs can become a barrier to entry for small and
medium enterprises, a particular problem for firms in
the global south.
Peter Utting, Deputy Director of United Nations Research
Institute for Social Development (UNRISD)

33. R OUNDTABLES :
WHAT ’ S NOT SO GOOD #3
• Some initiatives have ignored or marginalized workers,
trade unions and local level monitoring organizations
• Scaling up monitoring and verification procedures can be
extremely complex and costly
• Reporting can be unreliable due to the reluctance of both
workers and management to communicate openly and
honestly on certain issues, and the typically short
timeframe of any monitoring exercise.
• Reliance by some schemes on commercial auditing and
consulting firms raises serious problems regarding quality
and cost.
Peter Utting, Deputy Director of United Nations Research Institute for
Social Development (UNRISD)

34. R OUNDTABLES :
WHAT ’ S NOT SO GOOD #4
• Slow uptake and small market share ‐ MSC and FSC
• Focused on international markets – what about much larger
domestic and regional trade?
• One tool in the toolbox – without proper governance by
governments and multilateral agencies, it will be an uphill
battle
• Coalition of the active – engagement is resource hungry so
become exclusionary
• Acknowledgement of limitations – its important to be clear
about what can and can’t be delivered.
Certification and roundtables: do they work? A WWF review of multi
stakeholder sustainability initiatives September 2010

35. 3( B ) ISEAL

36. 3( C ) BUSINESS APPROACH
WITH NON PROFIT ADVICE
GLOBAL SOCIAL COMPLIANCE PROGRAMME
The GSCP is ultimately working towards remediation of root
causes to non‐compliances, aiming at supplier ownership of
solutions and their implementation.
Founded in 2005 to tackle the challenges of duplication and
lack of impact on labour standards in supply chains.
It aims to harmonise existing efforts in delivering a shared,
global and sustainable approach for continuous
improvement of working conditions in the global supply
chain.
In 2009 they went beyond social issues when they
published their “Draft Reference Environmental Framework
Requirements”. It’s specific to processing and is an
important step forward for harmonisation.

37. B USINESS DRIVEN
HARMONISATION
GLOBAL SOCIAL COMPLIANCE PROGRAMME
There are variations in social and environmental
compliance standards, audit methodology and
requirements for auditing competence
The Equivalence Process, launched in 2011, will
help companies and initiatives overcome this by
allowing them to benchmark their systems, tools
and processes against agreed best existing
practice as described in the GSCP reference tools

38. GSCP G OVERNANCE MODEL

39. 3( D ) B USINESS DRIVEN
APPROACH #1
INTERNATIONAL DAIRY FEDERATION
The only example of a genuinely global alliance for an agricultural
commodity representing 86% of the world’s total milk production.
In Berlin in September 2009, seven organisations including the IDF,
signed the ‘Global Dairy Agenda for Action’. It includes A pledge to
reduce carbon emissions as a part of its contribution to help
address global warming.
The agreement represents a crucial step forward for an industry
that contributes 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions, 80% of
which are on the farm.
The scope of their work includes the processing and packaging of
dairy products, but not the distribution and retailing.
There is current work on a harmonised carbon footprint system
which means that 85% of the world’s farmers could have a shared
approach.

40. 3( D ) B USINESS DRIVEN
APPROACH #2
SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE INITIATIVE
PLATFORM
SAI Platform is an organisation based in Europe but with
global membership.
It has been created by the brand manufacturers to
facilitate worldwide communication and involve
stakeholders in developing sustainable agriculture.
SAI Platform supports agricultural practices and
production systems that preserve the future availability of
current resources and enhances their efficiency.

41. 3( E ) INTERNATIONAL
ORGANISATIONS
GS1 is the most popular supply chain standards system
globally. One of its important features is a global IT
reference system.
ISO launches new standards according to demand from
stakeholders and sectors. An ISO standard is a living
agreement with criteria and technical specifications. Of note
is ISO 14063:2006 (Environmental communication).
OECD brings together democratic countries’ governments to
help them gain prosperity and eliminate poverty through
economic growth and financial stability. Their key indicators
include fish resources.
Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) is the world’s most widely
used company reporting framework for sustainability A
multi stakeholder organisation, its third generation is
referred to as the ‘G3 Guidelines’ and was released in 2006.

42. 4 C ASE STUDIES : FSC & MSC
P ROGRESS SO FAR
Scheme Started Market share Harvest share
FSC 1993 12% 8.4%
MSC 1999 50% whitefish 4.1%
0.05% tuna 7.1% of all
catch
MULTISTAKEHOLDER SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVES
Initial outcomes of a WWF review study 2011
Mireille Perrin Decorzent
mperrin@wwfint.org

43. W HAT ’ S BEEN LEARNT #1
STANDARD SETTING (from Twenty Fifty Ltd)
Standards that are realistic clear and provide a good basis for
implementation
Strong normative content, relating to UN, OECD or other
international standards
Standards that are not dominated by legal considerations alone
– as simple and as concrete as possible
Engaging interested parties beyond the core participant group
Setting expectations on participation, verification and
reporting
Strong public commitments from all stakeholders

44. W HAT ’ S BEEN LEARNT #2
IMPLEMENTATION
A clear understanding of expectations related direct and indirect impacts
Good promotion of the standard
Evolution of the governance structure to support local implementation
Development of practical guidance to aid implementation
Establishing multi‐stakeholder collaboration at the country or local level
A strong secretariat – with independence and ability to mobilise all
stakeholders (in particular governments) and to govern participation
criteria
Continuing political support of home countries internationally and in
producer countries, as facilitators and honest and skilled brokers
Continuing ethos of leadership: effective sector pillars but also specific
actors who are willing to lead troubleshooting.

45. W HAT ’ S BEEN LEARNT #3
HARMONISATION
EIGHT POLICY STEPS
1. The business case must be agreed by the CEOs.
2. The top companies must all be involved.
3. The facilitation must be seen as neutral and the organisation at the centre
must not benefit from the process.
4. Confidentiality must be formalised.
5. Decision making should be unanimous.
6. All companies should aspire to best practice, which is never static. Due to
global variability this cannot be delivered meaning supply chain expectations
must be realistic.
7. The top companies must deliver on policy convergence. However, progress will
never be even, so stories of success and failure must be shared.
8. A genuine multi stakeholder process may slow progress significantly. If it is not
in place, the views of stakeholders must be sought and their contribution
valued. Without their support, harmonisation will itself be slowed.

46. W HAT ’ S BEEN LEARNT #4
HARMONISATION
EIGHT PROCESS STEPS
1. Harmonisation is not about setting new standards, it is about bringing
together what already exist.
2. Project management skills in facilitation will accelerate progress.
3. All communication must be consistent and transparent.
4. Competence in working groups is important, so practical experience is
required.
5. The realities of business means individuals will have time constraints.
Therefore, facilitation should ensure workload for participants is realistic.
6. Agreement on both good and best practice must include stakeholder
consultation.
7. A central reference approach must be agreed to provides a list of essential
requirements
8. Schemes should be allowed reasonable transition periods for adaptation
before new company requirements are enforced.

47. 5

48. Checklist for failure
Poor decision making
Complexity in approach
Major players absent

49. Checklist for success
Senior support
Transparency and honesty
Alignment of buying with CSR

50. A IMS OF THE PRESENTATION
1. To consider competition law and the implications for
companies that collaborate with their competitors
2. To inform the group of the various approaches
around the world that have tackled collaborative
working on sustainability issues.
3. To share case studies of groups that have worked to
set up voluntary codes or standards
4. To build understanding of success and failure, barriers
to change, what needs to happen.
5. To facilitate a discussion on lessons for the SSC.

51. I TS NOT JUST WHAT YOU CONSUME ...
ITS ALSO HOW IT WAS PRODUCED
Better ingredients...
Away from price buying...
towards integrity and authenticity