For many companies, certification has been the go-to approach for showing responsible sourcing and addressing risk in their supply chains. Yet across a wide array of sectors, certifications have repeatedly failed to protect workers, companies, or consumers. Certifications are often presented as proof of due diligence, but when labor violations are uncovered in certified supply chains, companies remain fully liable.
Labor abuses are being increasingly publicly documented in certified wild-capture fisheries and aquaculture sites that are key import sources for the U.S. This raises serious questions: in an age of growing regulatory and investor scrutiny on global supply chains, can companies afford to keep relying on certification schemes as their compliance strategy? Persisting with approaches that fail workers, companies, and consumers leaves businesses exposed to reputational damage, consumer backlash, trade risks including seafood import bans and detentions at U.S. ports, as well as penalties under emerging human rights due diligence regulations.
This panel will examine the limitations of certification as a compliance tool and outline why continuing to rely on it exposes companies to unnecessary risk. Speakers will discuss labor violations documented in certified wild-capture fisheries and aquaculture, and highlight how proven alternative approaches from other sectors can offer stronger safeguards. The session will explore how companies can shift from voluntary certifications to enforceable agreements, direct worker engagement, and supply chain systems that deliver real protections for workers while strengthening compliance, mitigating risk, and ensuring companies are prepared for future regulatory and market expectations.
