Achieving living wage and living income in global agri-food supply chains is possible
‘The Only Way is Up!’ is a two-day, solutions-oriented conference hosted by seven organisations that are committed to sustainability in global agri-food supply chains. This conference gives you the unique opportunity to engage directly with relevant stakeholders from across the agri-food sector and step up efforts towards a decent standard of living.
Businesses, governments, civil society actors and certifiers will share success stories and the barriers to effective change. Learn from the best practices and bottlenecks faced by changemakers. Hands-on workshops and discussions will challenge you to explore collaboration and increase your own efforts to achieve living wage and living income.
By working together, we increase the impact for all.
Together, we will:
· Strengthen the living wage and living income movement in the agri-food sector.
· Share learnings on innovations and technology solutions.
· Showcase best practices, inspiring examples and practical tools.
· Generate solutions to challenges and bottlenecks.
· Ignite action! Create partnerships, agreements and new initiatives among organisations to improve sustainable sourcing from origin to the finished product.
Our partners
Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Achieving living wages in global supply chains is a priority for the Dutch policy agenda on sustainable production and trade. The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs has organised several major events on living wage. As a donor, the Netherlands has funded the Global Living Wage Coalition and the ILO to work on the methodology for living wage and living income benchmarks. The Dutch government supports projects for living wage in the sectoral RBC agreements for agri-food and textiles. It believes in a multi-stakeholder approach where governments, business and civil society organisations together create the conditions for improvements.
Fairfood
At Fairfood our mission is to make global food chains more sustainable. We aim to do so by using innovative technology. We believe that good food starts with transparent supply chains. Together with Hivos we founded the Living Wage Lab, in which we bring together different stakeholders that all have a role in supply chains ending in the Netherlands. We believe the problem of unfair wages can’t be solved by a single party, which is why we, both as Fairfood and the Living Wage Lab, are all for collaborating. For working together towards new solutions and ultimately towards fair food.
Fairtrade
Fairtrade is a worldwide movement for better prices, decent working conditions and sustainable production. Our unique approach brings producers, businesses and consumers together to transform the way trade works. Fairtrade has prioritised the development and implementation of practical living wage and living income strategies. A sustainable price for commodities has a central role. Sector-wide collaboration is key. Fairtrade is a founding member of the Global Living Wage Coalition, member of the Advisory Board of the Living Income Community of Practice, actively participates in the Living Wage Lab and serves in the Steering Committee of the Living Income Task Force.
German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
The Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) is responsible for the conception and evolvement of long-term development cooperation with international partners geared to promoting economic development. The BMZ works to combat poverty, increase food security, and promote peace, freedom and human rights. These challenges require global solutions. One example of how the BMZ achieves its objectives is by promoting the creation of sustainable agricultural supply chains, emphasising the crucial role of living income and living wage.
Hivos
Based on a track record of 50 years of partnering with frontrunners in daring, innovative and impactful development programmes, the Dutch non-governmental organisation Hivos seeks new and creative solutions to persistent global problems; solutions created by people taking their lives into their own hands. Our mission is to innovate for social change. With smart projects in the right places, we work towards more open and green societies. Together with Fairfood, Hivos set up the Living Wage Lab. The Lab convenes all relevant stakeholders of global agri-food and horticulture supply chains to cooperate and come up with solutions.
IDH, The Sustainable Trade Initiative
IDH brings together businesses, companies, governments and NGOs to combine their interests and power in sustainable production and trade of tropical commodities. We convene, (co-)finance and manage large programmes to accelerate transitions toward sustainability. In public-private partnerships, IDH delivers scalable, economically viable impact on the Sustainable Development Goals. IDH operates globally in different industry sectors ranging from coffee and tea to cotton and soy, and encourages joint investment in innovative models to realise long-term solutions for environmentally and socially sustainable.
Rainforest Alliance
The Rainforest Alliance is an international non-profit organisation working at the intersection of business, agriculture and forests. We are building an alliance to create a better future for people and nature by making responsible business the new normal. Key to our vision is that producers can implement sustainable practices and run a resilient and profitable business; they can make long-term investments in sustainable production, earn a living income, and pay workers a living wage. We are a founding member of the Global Living Wage Coalition and a member of Living Wage Lab and Living Income Community of Practice.