A Closer Look at Oxfam's Behind the Brands Campaign

I have always enjoyed working with Oxfam and have long supported their work to fight poverty and injustice. Their new campaign, Behind the Brands, is no exception to their past efforts. The campaign aims to encourage transparency and accountability in the operations of the world's top ten food and beverage companies, which collectively generate revenues of more than $1.1 billion each day and employ millions of people along their supply chains. These top ten companies not only control much of the market, they are industry leaders and can redefine priorities for the wider food and beverage industries.   

Behind the Brands centers on a scorecard that Oxfam used to evaluate company policies within the following seven themes, which are widely recognized among sustainability experts as priorities:

1. Transparency at a corporate level
2. Women farm workers and small-scale producers in the supply chain
3. Workers on farms in the supply chain
4. Small-scale farmers growing the commodities
5. Land, including rights and access to land and sustainable use of it
6. Water, including rights and access to water resources and sustainable use of it
7. Climate, both relating to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and helping farmers adapt to climate change

The Behind the Brands campaign uses publicly available information to evaluate how the company addresses each of these themes (with the exception of transparency) in the following four indicator categories:

• Awareness: Is the company aware of key issues and does it takes steps to address the key issues?
• Knowledge: Does the company demonstrate that it measures, assesses and reports key issues and impacts specifically in its supply chains?
• Commitments: Does the company commit to addressing the key issues in its supply chains?
• Supply chain management: Does the company require its suppliers to meet relevant standards?

The evaluation of transparency is based on a broader focus and rewards companies for disclosure on cross-cutting and corporate-level issues.

Oxfam bolsters the campaign with the use of provocative ads, illustrative diagrams, and an interactive website.

Oxfam recognizes that brands will need government support and positive feedback from consumers. I have highlighted just a few of the recommendations that Oxfam has provided for these stakeholders:

• Brands should support access to small-scale farmers, support equal treatment of women, promote water as a human right, prohibit water or land grabbing, and disclose greenhouse gas emissions.
• Governments should establish comprehensive laws and provide effective oversight to protect the rights of their citizens, including small-scale farmers and farm workers. Governments can promote diversified farm systems, require environmental, social and governance disclosures, implement strategies to tackle climate change, and promote partnerships that share risks among supply chain actors.
• Oxfam calls on consumers to speak up and demand that brands provide better working conditions and lessen environmental impacts along their supply chains.

The examination of company policies to assess a company's commitment to improve conditions in each of these seven areas is a strong start. I appreciate the simplicity of Oxfam's model to use consistent criteria for each of the seven themes. This approach will align the most influential food and beverage companies' attention on a common set of priorities and will encourage them to improve performance - and beat the competition - in each of the seven areas. Oxfam has also digested complex issues and presented in a way that can be understood by consumers and other stakeholders. Now we must embrace our role to demand more of all brands.