The same process that is outlined above for environmental goals should be conducted again for traceability and social responsibility in order to generate commitments on these topics.
The details of a commitment to traceability and social responsibility will vary based on the company and the seafood it sells. The good news is that there are new resources to help companies learn more about these topics and decide which improvements are needed for their supply chains. Return to our Learn section to review the traceability and social responsibility resources which will help companies identify and implement improvements for their businesses.
Example: Walmart's Human Right Commitment
Example: Thai Union and WWF's Progress Report on Trace Efforts
Social Responsibility Commitment
In addition to the best practices outlined in the environmental section of this template, specific social responsibility commitment best practices include:
Best practice is that a social responsibility commitment references publicly available standard(s) (e.g. UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, ILO 188 Work in Fishing Convention, etc.).
Best practice is to publish a social responsibility action plan. This plan should be timebound, public, and list actions the company will take to identify and address high-risk areas and implement due diligence measures.
Best practice is to publish a supplier code of conduct that addresses forced labor, human trafficking, and child labor. In addition, the code should extend to other critical human rights elements in all three pillars of the Monterey Framework. It's important to note that employers should also address this issue, in addition to the suppliers they source from.
Social Responsibility Commitment Progress
Social responsibility commitment progress should be specific and communicated in the following ways:
Best practice is to report publicly on progress within one year and demonstrate increased progress over the previous report.
Best practice is to report publicly every year on the outcomes of data collection and risk assessments (e.g., high-risk supply chains, specific suppliers, etc.)
Best practice is to report publicly on process and outcomes of verification and/or improvement of working conditions (e.g., audit results, certifications, challenges identified and action taken with suppliers to support improvements, etc.), including public evidence of incorporating worker engagement mechanisms into verification efforts and efforts to support workers’ collective bargaining/freedom of association.
Traceability Commitment
In addition to the best practices outlined in the environmental section of this template, specific traceability commitment best practices include:
Best practice is that a public traceability commitment outlines the level of traceability (e.g., to the vessel or feed source) and purpose of traceability (e.g., to inform an assessment of risk for IUU or human rights abuses).
Best practice is to publish a traceability action plan. This plan should be timebound, public, and list actions the company is taking to ensure all products are traceable back to legal sources (i.e. vessels or farms) and that aquaculture inputs such as hatchery stock and feed are also legal and traceable. This plan should also list the actions a company is taking to verify source information and full-chain traceability by researching high-risk items, conducting traceability desk audits, or pursuing third-party traceability certifications.
Traceability Commitment Progress
Traceability commitment progress should be specific and communicated in the following ways:
Best practice is to report publicly on progress within one year and demonstrate increased progress over the previous report including evidence of progress towards digitizing and standardizing data and progress towards full-chain traceability.