Press Release
5 May 2021
London, UK. FishWise, the California-based sustainable seafood non-profit organisation, today upgrades its Roadmap for Improving Seafood Ethics (RISE) online platform as part of their drive for access to increased social responsibility, including addressing human and labour rights matters within seafood supply chains.
“The seafood industry stands at an inflection point, with social responsibility becoming a business imperative,” said Lori Bishop, Social Responsibility Division Director at FishWise.“Businesses have a responsibility to respect human rights, and RISE provides clear pathways to protect workers and lead positive change.”
RISE was created two years ago by FishWise to help the seafood industry build robust social responsibility programs and develop decent work opportunities across the sector. Since then, the Roadmap has supported retailers, suppliers, producers, and the non-profits that guide them.
The Roadmap outlines the three ‘Foundations’ of Responsible Recruitment, Worker Engagement, and Decent Work at Sea reflecting three core issues that all seafood companies have a responsibility to investigate and address to protect rights, mitigate risk, improve conditions, and empower seafood workers.
Key areas of improvement for the online tool include: ● Interactive learning resources ● A self-assessment tool ● Language translations ● Global site search ● Resource library ● Stronger alignment with United Nations Guiding Principles, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and International Labour Organisation (ILO) Conventions.
“RISE covers a wide range of recommended actions, which was exactly what we needed when developing the Tuna 2020 Traceability Declaration Social Responsibility Toolkit. Going beyond commitments, companies now have the guidance they need to improve business operations, implement worker-centered solutions, and build responsible tuna supply chains,” said Tom Pickerell, Executive Director of the Global Tuna Alliance.
Enhanced Platform Features
● Eight simple steps companies may take to build comprehensive social responsibility programs. ● Detailed information on the three RISE Foundations of a strong seafood social responsibility program: Responsible Recruitment, Worker Engagement, and Decent Work at Sea. ● Best practices for assessing risk, remediating issues, building capacity with suppliers, and communicating company successes. ● eLearning modules tailored for retailers/brands, suppliers, processors, and producers to empower companies to get started or accelerate their journeys. ● A self-assessment tool to direct companies to the most relevant information ● The Social Responsibility Assessment Tool for the Seafood Sector (SRA), associated resources for Fishery Improvement Project (FIP) implementers, and a unique landing page and resources featuring the Monterey Framework.
FishWise developed RISE with grant funding support from Walmart Foundation, which focuses on strengthening worker dignity for people in supply chains by promoting the responsible recruitment of workers and fair and responsible labor practices.
“Human Rights at Sea continues to support the development of the RISE platform. We note its increasing functionality as a hub for key information enabling clearer understanding of headline topics supporting welfare, worker voice and social justice improvements within global fisheries supply chains as set against international legal standards.” commented David Hammond, CEO, Human Rights at Sea.
ENDS.
Photo credit: Jamie Ling