Corporate Responsibility for Human Rights in Assam Tea Plantations: A Business and Human Rights Approach

Madhura Rao and Nadia Bernaz
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Madhura Rao: Food Claims Centre Venlo, Maastricht University, 5911 BV Venlo, The Netherlands
Nadia Bernaz: Law Group, Wageningen University, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 18, 1-22

Abstract: This paper explores how UK-based companies deal with their responsibility to respect the human rights of Assam (India) tea plantation workers. Through qualitative content analysis of publicly available corporate reports and other documents, it investigates how companies approach and communicate their potential human rights impacts. It highlights the gap between well-documented human rights issues on the ground and corporate reports on these issues. It aims to answer the following research question: in a context where the existence of human rights violations at the end of the supply chain is well-documented, how do companies reconcile their possible connection with those violations and the corporate responsibility to respect human rights under the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights? This paper reveals the weakness of the current corporate social responsibility (CSR) approach from the perspective of rights-holders. It supports a business and human rights approach, one that places the protection of human rights at its core.

Keywords: tea plantations; Assam; business and human rights; corporate social responsibility; UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights; UK Modern Slavery Act (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:18:p:7409-:d:411152

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