Supply Chain Due Diligence

What’s on your mind

How can I identify potential environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks in my supply chain? What regulatory developments are relevant for my company, and how can I implement due diligence processes?

Transform Your Supply Chain with Expert Due Diligence Solutions

Meo Carbon Solutions applies a cross-sector approach in robust supply chain due diligence practices across industries. Whether your organization requires short-term consultancies or long-term projects, our dedicated team has expertise and insight in a range of due diligence topics—including gender equality, human rights, food security, labor conditions, circular economies and more. In addition, we have proven experience in developing high-value and inclusive supply chains that contribute to the livelihoods of smallholder farmers and those living in rural agricultural communities. 

Our solid data-driven methodologies help your organization establish transparency by advising on the legal due diligence landscape and defining and implementing prevention and mitigation strategies to tackle key social and environmental issues of global supply chains. Discover how our Supply Chain Due Diligence team can help your organization drive meaningful social and environmental impact today. 

Mandatory Corporate Due Diligence

  • Advise on due diligence standards and the legal landscape to support companies in fulfilling requirements (including LkSG and EUDR)
  • Develop tailored risk analysis for companies to identify and assess actual or potential environmental and social risks in their operations, supply chains and business relationships
  • Establish grievance mechanisms in line with applicable laws
  • Support companies to implement effective sustainability reporting that complies with the regulatory requirements and enables proper communication with stakeholders

Social & Human Rights Responsibility

  • Establish prevention and mitigation strategies to tackle key social and ethical issues of global supply chains
  • Improve food security and safeguard the right to food of agricultural producers
  • Address gender inequalities and empower women at farm level and production sites
  • Support companies to implement child labour due diligence to protect children’s rights
  • Develop training approaches and methodologies to promote and protect workers rights in global supply chains

Check our latest projects: Food Security Standard (FSS), 4C Services Gender Equality Add-On and 4C Guidance on the Protection of Children’s Rights.

Environmental Responsibility

  • Advise on compliance with requirements of deforestation-free supply chains as required by the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR)
  • Create complementing certification schemes to strengthen environmental and traceability indicators aligned with legal regulations like the EU Taxonomy

Check our latest projects: Biological Resources Certifications Schemes (BioReCer).

Smallholder Inclusive Business

  • Support smallholders to build their capacity in enhancing governance, adopting good agricultural practices, achieving certification and improving market access
  • Develop and implement strategies to close the living income gap and promote living wages to improve rural livelihoods
  • Support the integration of digital tools to streamline smallholders‘ value chains and report compliance with due diligence regulations

Work Case

Implementation of the Food Security Standard in Agricultural Supply Chains

Approach

MCS is implementing the project through five key activities:

  1. Awareness-raising activities on food security
  2. Building company capacity on addressing food insecurity in supply chains
  3. Integrating food security with existing sustainability standards
  4. Strengthening FSS as a tool to support compliance with supply chain legislation requirements
  5. Incorporating food insecurity into risk assessment

Overview

Food security is a human right, yet hunger and malnutrition persist in many countries that produce agricultural commodities for global markets (Food Security Standard (FSS) was developed in 2017 as a private-sector response to improve social sustainability and end hunger for farmers, agricultural workers, and neighboring communities. The project’s core objective is to ensure food security at the producer level through socially responsible operations and businesses.

To do so, the FSS collaborates closely with sustainability standards involving global supply chains. The project is designed as a voluntary complement to existing standards by providing additional criteria on food security and nutrition. The FSS is applicable to all agricultural products and farm sizes.

Deutsche Welthungerhilfe eV (WHH) and Meo Carbon Solutions (MCS) actively co-manage the project’s implementation to achieve the above-mentioned activities. It is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Food and Agriculture (BMEL) via the Agency for Renewable Resources (FNR).

Activity 1: A commodity-raising activity on food security

Alongside WHH, MCS engages both the public and private sectors through an active public relations strategy to help raise awareness about food security and, in turn, encourage companies to become FSS-certified.

The public relations strategy utilizes various communication channels to target consumers, organizations with agricultural value chains, and government agencies:

  • Create publications for technical communication on topics related to food security
  • Send newsletters for customer retention and technical communication
  • Develop an online presence via social media and the website
  • Raise awareness and advocate for food security by attending and presenting at conferences, events, webinars, and workshops
  • Encourage actors from the private sector to become FSS certified and promote food security in their global supply chains

Activity 2: Building company capacity on addressing food insecurity in supply chains

MCS and its partners provide technical support and capacity building for sustainable certification to agricultural companies. This capacity development follows a comprehensive approach based on an initial gap assessment or pre-audit. These assessments are then turned into tailored work plans for effective and continuous improvement. MCS and its partners will support the interested companies‘ readiness to FSS certification by facilitating working sessions, developing targeted training material on social sustainability and food security and during on-site visits.

Audit Field Example for a Colombian Palm Oil Company:

  • Introductory session on the FSS
  • Working sessions on FSS requirements
  • Informative workshop on food security in Colombia and nutrition for agricultural workers
  • Documentation support, including FSS policy and best social practices

Activity 3: Integrating with existing sustainability standards

MCS benchmarks the FSS against established and recognizable sustainability standards covering a wide range of agricultural commodities and sustainability goals. To date, MCS officially benchmarked and integrated the FSS into 4C Services and International Sustainability and Carbon Certification.

The integration process involves several key steps, including:

  • Benchmarking process: A detailed benchmarking process takes place to highlight the similarities and discrepancies between the sustainability standard and the FSS audit checklists and processes. Sustainability standards can choose between a full integration or combined approach.
  • Auditor Training: MCS and its partners execute comprehensive training sessions for the sustainability standards‘ auditors to secure their expertise in evaluating compliance with the FSS. These training programs equip auditors with the necessary knowledge and skills to effectively assess adherence to the FSS.

Activity 4: Strengthening FSS as a tool to support compliance with supply chain legislation requirements

With support from legal consultants, MCS and its partners benchmark the FSS requirements against corporate due diligence regulations. FSS certification allows companies to highlight their compliance with national due diligence obligations and demonstrate their commitment to responsible human rights practices like the German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act.

Activity 5: Incorporating food insecurity into risk assessment

MCS collaborates with Global Risk Assessment Services (GRAS) to develop risk analyzes and create an impact monitoring and evaluation system to measure positive changes in local food security. To do so, MCS and GRAS identify and integrate georeferenced data on food security to complement GRAS automated social risk analysis tool. Furthermore, MCS and GRAS will develop digital tools for collecting field data and measuring impact of the FSS at farms and production sites.