Embedding Core Values Through Experiential Training

Client / Partner

L’Oréal | In collaboration with Good Corporation, France

Sector & Geography

Agriculture & Natural Ingredients | Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, India

Engagement Focus

Human rights risk assessment, women smallholder protection, supply chain transparency

Context & Objectives

L’Oréal engaged IRFT, alongside Good Corporation, France, to assess human rights risks within its jasmine and tuberose supply chains in India. These floral supply chains are highly fragmented and heavily reliant on smallholder growers, many of whom are women with limited landholdings and weak bargaining power.

1

Assess human rights risks in L’Oréal’s jasmine and tuberose supply chains

2

Identify improvement areas related to labour rights and working conditions

Approach & Methodology

IRFT conducted comprehensive supply chain mapping across Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, engaging multiple stakeholders through field interviews and data collection. Findings were analysed through structured team debriefings to identify root causes of risk and areas for remediation.

Our Key Interventions

1

Supply chain mapping and identification of rights holders

2

Field interviews with growers and intermediaries

3

Assessment of labour practices, wages, and working conditions

4

Analysis of gender-related vulnerabilities

OUR IMPACT

Where Our Work Creates Change

An eleven-member IRFT field team worked intensively for ten days, assessing child labour risks, wage practices, working conditions, and women’s labour participation. The assessment revealed a highly fluid supply chain where women smallholder growers—often owning less than one acre of land—were most vulnerable to exploitation due to weak bargaining power and intermediary dependence.

IRFT emphasized remediation pathways including improved procurement transparency by perfumeries and the establishment of fair, viable market prices to protect marginalized growers.

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