Use Case: Strengthening a Human Rights Approach through Stakeholder Dialogue

Use case

The problem

A multinational food company wanted to update its human rights policy to align with evolving expectations.

“We want a policy that reflects international standards, stakeholder concerns, and internal realities and we need our teams to stand behind it.”

They recognised that a policy is only effective if it’s understood and supported across the organisation.

The context

The company sources from international agricultural supply chains and operates in multiple regions. While a policy was already in place, rising regulatory pressure (e.g. CSDDD), stakeholder scrutiny, and internal requests for clarity prompted a full revision. Importantly, the company wanted internal buy-in, not just legal approval, so that departments like procurement, HR, and operations would actively support implementation.

Our action

HUMAN RIGHTS AT WORK designed and facilitated a two-track consultation process:

Internal track: dialogues and workshops with key departments to gather insights, identify obstacles, and ensure the language and commitments made sense in practice.
External track: workshop and interviews with NGOs, suppliers, and worker representatives to surface concerns, blind spots, and suggestions.
Based on the input, we helped revise the policy and added clear commitments, governance, and follow-up mechanisms.

The result

A strengthened human rights policy with both internal ownership and external credibility, aligned with UNGPs, OECD Guidelines, and upcoming EU legislation.
Clearer understanding of what the policy means in daily operations across functions.
Improved relationships with stakeholders, thanks to transparent and inclusive engagement.
A structured basis for implementation through a concrete action plan.

Insights

A good policy is only the beginning. True impact comes from embedding it into the organisation, with people, processes, and planning aligned.

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