RB, a global consumer health, hygiene and home company, today announces a new partnership with the Danish Institute for Human Rights (the Institute).
RB’s existing human rights strategy includes a human rights policy which all employees, contractors and suppliers are expected to adhere to and a supply chain monitoring programme. This partnership, which starts immediately, will broaden and deepen this strategy through a number of projects, including:
- A human rights analysis of RB’s business model and geographical footprint to identify where RB can further strengthen respect for human rights in its work.
- An evaluation of where RB should conduct a country-level human rights impact assessment, which will go on to identify how RB’s activities affect human rights in that location and develop recommendations to minimise negative and maximise positive impacts.
- Advising RB on how to further develop its human rights strategy.
Miguel Veiga-Pestana, RB’s SVP of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability says: “At RB our purpose is to enable people to live healthier and happier lives. Through the footprint of our operations and across our value chain as well as through our brands we aim to bring this purpose to life. It is therefore critical that we can ensure that we can produce and distribute our brands with full respect for all the people touched by our value chain. The Institute has an international reputation that is second to none for working with businesses to incorporate the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. We are delighted that they have agreed to work with us to help us on our journey.”
Signe Andreasen Lysgaard, the Institute’s strategic adviser on human rights and business says: “RB has approached us with an ambition to advance and scale up its existing human rights strategy and we are excited to be working with them. With brands ranging from Dettol to Durex and Vanish, the number of lives touched directly and indirectly by RB is vast. An enhanced human rights strategy has the potential to result in positive outcomes for RB’s consumers, employees, supply chain workers and communities all over the world.”
The partners will share learnings and outcomes from the collaboration when relevant and possible.
About the Danish Institute for Human Rights
The Danish Institute for Human Rights is Denmark’s national human rights institution. Internationally, the Institute works with national human rights institutions, state institutions as well as the private sector on strengthening human rights.
Since 1999, the Institute has engaged directly with corporate actors to help them improve the human rights impacts associated with their activities and business relationships at the global, country, and project level.
Other companies that the Institute is currently working with include: Nestlé, Total SA and Norsk Hydro. All engagements with corporate actors are governed by the Institute's Corporate Engagement Principles, a document of shared objectives and understandings for advancing human rights through private-sector operations.