What does Fairfood expect from brand owners?
Fairfood expects that brand owners take full responsibility for the sustainability of all their brand products. Click here for more information. Although Fairfood expects from brand owners that they take full responsibility, Fairfood understands and accepts that sustainability is a process. Fairfood stimulates this process and is satisfied if brand owners take sufficient steps in the right direction. Fairfood recognises that investing in sustainability is an ongoing process; that is why we focus on steps in the right direction, rather than insisting on a standard for ‘absolute’ sustainability.
The supply chains and organizational structure of brand owners differs a lot and as such it is difficult to set clear thresholds on the most acceptable sustainability efforts. In some cases, certifying some products against specific standards may be the right steps, while in other situations it is window-dressing. Brand owners should however convince its stakeholders (consumers, citizens, journalist, employees, NGOs, governments etc) that the right steps are adequately taken. The burden of proof is in any case with the brand owner.
Fairfood expects that brand owners are transparent about the steps they are taking by providing valid documentation or information as evidence of its sustainability efforts e.g. audit reports, CSR / Sustainability reports, Supplier code of conducts, declaration of compliance to viable sustainability initiatives and certifications, etc. Examples of sustainability initiatives are being analyzed by our Research department and viable ones can be recommended to brand owners as guidance to possible solutions for their identified priority issues.
If a brand owner is still uncertain whether enough measures have been taken by them, via our Corporate Sustainability Analysis project, we can assist in assessing the brand owner’s efforts towards the sustainability of its products and provide useful insights. A lot of brand owners already have account managers at Fairfood to assist them with this, if not, they can contact Ioan Nemes (Director Advocacy) to get started.
Fairfood will consider the sustainability measures taken by a brand owner holistically and based on that continue with encouraging the brand owner (either by ‘talks’ or public actions). In any case, Fairfood will only conduct public action after giving the brand owner the chance to improve on its efforts in sustainability.
