Lettersnatcher

In 1951, Frank Abrams led Standard Oil’s board and gave us the first meaningful definition of corporate social responsibility (CSR). In an article in the Harvard Business Review, Abrams stated that CSR should keep a fair balance. It must be workable for stockholders, employees, customers, and the public.

Over five decades have passed and traditional CSR models have focused less on the rights of the worker. Most CSR models emphasize community relations and societal and environmental impact. Very few have built an internal or external culture showing the corporation’s transparent commitment to social responsibility. Some have incorporated DEI into their practices. We’ve seen truckloads of glossy ESG reports that the public hardly understands.

Until 2015, very few businesses and activist organizations monitored supply chains. These supply chains were exploiting a key constituent of Abram’s definition: the worker. The traditional model of CSR had no enforcement. There were no legally binding agreements from brands and suppliers. There was no accountability. The shirts imported from Bangladesh to the US were made with the sweat and toil of unrecognized, unpaid workers.

Meanwhile, big brands touted their CSR initiatives to appease their shareholders. They applied social auditing as if they were open book tests in college. They created facts and figures to show their commitment to society. During this period, Worker-led Social Responsibility emerged as a new paradigm. It focused on protecting human rights for workers in corporate supply chains. This worker-led approach stated that workers must “be the driving force in the creation, monitoring and enforcement of programs designed to improve their wages and working conditions.”

WSR traces its origins in the Fair Food Program. This partnership benefits everyone in the supply chain: workers, growers, retailers, and consumers. This model has now been taken on by other industries and focuses on worker to worker education. The model also includes 24/7 complaint resolution, rigorous auditing and market-based enforcement.

The results have been impressive. According to the Fair Food Program, 9,350 violations were uncovered in audits. All were addressed by growers. Over 3900 worker complaints were resolved.

So, next time you are buying vegetables at a Fair Food certified organization, remember this. The traditional model of CSR has changed. It is giving way to WSR that cares about the worker in a complex supply chain.