Six years of collaboration between the Japan Consumers' Co-op Union and WWF: Behind the Scenes of Indonesia's Certification (Part 2)
2025
Approximately 5,000 million people worldwide are victims of modern slavery*1Of these, it is estimated that there are approximately 2,760 million people who are forced to work while suffering from human trafficking, non-payment of wages, violence, and intimidation. The fishing industry is no exception. The latest report, for the first time, has estimated the number of victims in the fishing industry to be approximately 128,000. It should be noted that this statistic is pointed out to be significantly lower than the actual figure, as it is extremely difficult to confirm forced laborers in the fishing industry, as they are forced to work for long periods of time under supervision on board vessels physically far from land.*1.
To improve this situation, the United Nations issued the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights in 2011. Since then, progress has been made in establishing laws requiring the respect of workers' human rights, primarily in Europe and the United States.
The Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights have three pillars: the obligation of governments to protect human rights, the responsibility of companies to respect human rights, and the remediation of human rights violations. In order for companies to fulfill their responsibility to respect human rights, it is essential that they undertake "human rights due diligence," which involves identifying the risk of human rights violations throughout the supply chain and working to prevent, mitigate, and remedy them.
However, you may not know what to do, how to do it, or where to start.Tokyo Sustainable Seafood SummitBased on the panel discussion "Human Rights Due Diligence in Seafood Supply Chains - Challenges and Opportunities" held at the 2022 IWC, we will introduce the initiatives of domestic and international companies and problem-solving through international collaboration.
Erin Taylor of the American NGO FishWise points out that "human rights due diligence requires continuity and stakeholder involvement, and there is a growing demand for its implementation."
Overfishing and unregistered fishing vessels have become problems in the fishing industry in an attempt to make short-term profits.IUU (illegal, unreported, unregulated) fishingis closely linked to human rights violations.
britishSurvey by the NGO Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF)According to a study, of 116 fishermen interviewed in China's deep-sea fishing sector, 97 percent had experienced wage garnishment or debt bondage, and more than 8 percent suffered excessive work, poor working conditions, and even intimidation and physical abuse.*2.
Xiao-chieh Chiu of EJF introduced the heartbreaking case of "young people from poor Indonesian fishing villages who are persuaded by agents to sign employment contracts without knowing the terms, in order to support their families." The Taiwanese government publishes the identities and nationalities of fishing boat crew members every year, but Chiu points out that "the information released is still not sufficient."
In response to this situation, the UK's Seafood Ethics Action Alliance is a group of retailers and seafood producers that work together to respect human rights, going beyond competitive relationships in the market.
The Alliance has created tools to improve risk assessments and provides support and guidance to companies to strengthen human rights due diligence. It also focuses on advocacy and engagement to encourage government involvement, and has set up a fund to allow companies to invest in improving the situation. "There are opportunities for further collaboration with the Japanese market and Japanese companies," says Andy Hickman of the Alliance.
Hilton Foods, a global company based in the UK that operates food processing, packaging, and logistics facilities, has established a Sustainable Protein Plan as a set of goals to be achieved by 2025, and is committed to respecting human rights as a key pillar of the plan. "There are challenges and pressures in the supply chain throughout the business," says Julia Black of the company.
First, we are mindful of protecting the rights of our own employees, and we engage with suppliers throughout the supply chain to comprehensively mitigate the risk of human rights violations, conducting risk assessments for particularly high-risk suppliers.
AEON Co., Ltd., a major Japanese retailer, has established the "Basic Policy on Human Rights" and the "AEON Supplier Transaction Code of Conduct." Until now, human rights monitoring has focused on first-tier suppliers, but Yumie Kabashima of the company says, "There are limits to just auditing first-tier suppliers and carrying out improvement activities, so in recent years we have focused on supporting the entire human rights due diligence process and are creating a system to hear a variety of voices through dialogue with stakeholders."
The company also faces the challenge of having little access to fishing boat workers upstream in the supply chain, and now that retailers as brand owners are being held accountable, the company is taking preventive measures regarding human rights, such as obtaining certifications such as MSC and ASC, as well as participating in further improvements to the certification system.
Transparency in human rights due diligence is key to preventing seafood products linked to human rights violations from entering the market. During the panel discussion, all of the panelists expressed their views on the importance of improving transparency, saying, "Transparency allows governments and companies, who previously seemed like enemies, to gradually build trust between each other" (Chiu), "Obtaining information about the situation on board makes it possible to have more difficult discussions" (Black), "Ensuring transparency for workers is also necessary" (Hickman), and "It is important for the entire supply chain to be connected, human rights issues to be made visible, and stakeholders to work together to address them" (Kabashima).
The Coalition for Fisheries Transparency (CFT), a global platform whose executive board includes seven organizations and groups, including EJF, Global Fishing Watch, and Seafood Legacy, announced the Global Charter for Fisheries Transparency in March 7.*3The charter also includes a section calling for information about the working conditions of fishermen, and it is likely that respect for worker human rights will become a global standard in the future.
Respect for the human rights of workers is not limited to the fishing industry; efforts in various industries are accelerating. For a long time, there was a state of groping in the dark, but recently various practical tools have been disseminated both domestically and internationally.
In Japan, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry published the "Guidelines for Respecting Human Rights in Responsible Supply Chains" in September last year.*4Taylor also pointed to the free online platform FishWise has created as a resource to help companies conduct human rights due diligence.RISEOr the WBASeafood Steward's Indexetc. are listed.
It is expected that the use of these tools will further strengthen human rights due diligence throughout the entire supply chain.
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Key terms and concepts to understand seafood sustainability.
