HarmonyVote

Initiative Title: Ethical Trade and Sustainable Sourcing Certification Act

Description:

1. Unified Global Ethical Certification System:
   Establish a globally recognized certification label that confirms compliance with core ethical trade principles, including living wages, safe working conditions, freedom of association, and environmental sustainability.

2. Mandatory Due Diligence for Importers and Retailers:
   Require businesses above a certain revenue threshold to conduct supply chain due diligence, identifying risks of forced labor, child labor, deforestation, and unsafe conditions.

3. Certification Criteria Co-Developed with Stakeholders:
   Create the certification standard through inclusive dialogue with labor unions, indigenous communities, small producers, civil society organizations, and environmental experts.

4. Third-Party Auditing and Transparency:
   All certified companies must undergo independent audits, with full reports made publicly available. Consumers can access digital traceability tools (e.g., QR codes on product labels).

5. Support for Small Producers and Cooperatives:
   Offer financial and technical assistance to smallholder farmers, cooperatives, and local enterprises to help them meet certification standards and access ethical markets.

6. Incentives and Procurement Policies:
   Governments and institutions must prioritize ethical-certified goods in public procurement. Offer tax breaks or market access advantages to certified producers and importers.

7. Bans on Goods from Exploitative Sources:
   Prohibit the import or sale of goods linked to child labor, forced labor, land grabbing, or significant ecological destruction, unless verified corrective action has been taken.

8. Global Public Awareness Campaign:
   Launch campaigns to educate consumers on the impact of their purchases and promote demand for ethically certified goods.

Possible Outcomes and Implications:

• Improved Worker Protections Globally: Helps eradicate child labor, modern slavery, and wage theft across supply chains.
• Environmental Benefits: Encourages responsible sourcing of materials like palm oil, timber, cotton, and minerals.
• Empowered Consumers and Ethical Markets: Builds trust in certified products and allows consumers to align purchases with values.
• Inclusion of Marginalized Producers: Supports equitable participation of Indigenous peoples, women-led enterprises, and local artisans in global trade.

Votes: