The Ethics Committee is an independent body within Canal Foros (grievance mechanism of the Ethical Trade Forums), whose purpose is to provide its assessment in those grievance in which there is no agreement between the company and the informant on the proposed plan of action to resolve them. In other words, if any of the parts involved (either the complainant or the denounced company) does not agree with the proposed solution to resolve the grievance, the next level of decision can be taken, which would imply activating the participation of the Ethical Committee.
This committee acts in a confidential manner, that is, without knowing the data of the grievance or the grievant. Only by understanding the problem, it suggest a solution that is considered ethically correct, fair and legal. This suggestion arrives to the producer, who can decide whether to accept it or not.
The grievance mechanism, of which the Ethical Committee is a part, was created within the Ethical Trade Forums, which are defined as a multi-stakeholder organization. This means that the initiatives created by the Forums work under this logic in which various actors participate, always with an active and collaborative role. Therefore, this project includes our stakeholders, as well as representatives of society and workers.
It is important to note that, in order to maintain neutrality in the conformation of the Ethical Committee, its members are not elected by the Ethical Trade Forums, but instead it is the ETFA Advisory Committee that is in charge of deciding who is part of this initiative. So far it is formed by a representative of the Ethical Trade Forums + social/labor NGOs + environmental NGOs + trade union representatives + social/labor and environmental experts + legal experts.
Today, Canal Foros is the only grievance mechanism, of those operating in Spain, that has a next level as the Ethics Committee, which works with decisions by consensus among all the members that conform it, thus promoting a more comprehensive and sustainable solution to the situations that it must face in its operation.
If you have any questions about how the Ethics Committee works, or if you are interested in having more information about the Canal Foros, please contact us at afce@conexionsocial.com.