• Group becomes first business to conduct and publish an independent Human Rights Impact Assessment (HRIA) into the production of pulses in Argentina 

• Business announces action plan, including measures to promote gender equality and engagement with indigenous communities 
• Princes plans to conduct an annual HRIA from 2023 onwards, demonstrating its firm commitment to enhancing human rights due diligence 

International food and drink group, Princes, has completed a first-of-its-kind Human Rights Impact Assessment (HRIA) into pulses from Argentina – taking a major step forward in evolving its approach to human rights due diligence and supply chain transparency.  

Argentina represents around a fifth of Princes Group’s pulse purchases, including chickpeas and cannellini beans – a growing source of low-carbon, plant-based protein that is set to become even more important for people and the planet in today’s climate-changing world. Princes sources Argentinean pulses for a wide range of products under the Group’s Napolina brand, as well as under private label for many UK and continental European supermarkets.  

The HRIA, which is a specialist study informed by international standards and frameworks, including the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), assessed all aspects of Princes’ Argentinean pulses value chain to identify and respond to human rights impacts – marking an industry-first. 

Key findings of the assessment highlighted good working conditions and social security for staff working at Princes suppliers, identified as positive impacts in the report. The salient risks include inaccessibility to grievance mechanisms for farm workers, road safety and vehicle usage at processing sites, the marginalisation of indigenous communities and gender-based violence and harassment – all of which will be addressed through a robust action plan, with progress reported publicly.  

The full HRIA report will be available on the Princes website to share insights and learnings across the wider food and drink industry, and encourage other industry players to implement similar practices. To gain this level of understanding across all priority supply chains, Princes plans to conduct a new HRIA every year from 2023 onwards.   

Paul Williams, Group Head of Environmental & Social Sustainability at Princes, said: “At Princes, we believe that our products should not only be sourced responsibly, but also contribute positively to the lives of those behind them, at all levels of the supply chain. So conducting this assessment in Argentina – a first for our business and the industry more broadly, was a major undertaking that we’re very proud to have completed. 

“Pulses represent a growing source of protein and are well-known as a low carbon crop, so as diets continue to change for reasons of human and planetary health, it’s clear they are going to be more important for both Princes, the wider industry and millions of families. Through this level of due diligence, we want to future-proof all priority supply chains, taking our approach to mitigating human rights risks and enhancing transparency further than ever before.  

“This first HRIA will help Princes and Napolina, as well as our customers and consumers, to ensure the very highest standards are maintained, as the business proudly helps families to eat well, without compromising on quality, ethics or the sustainability standards we all expect.” 

Peter McAllister, Executive Director of the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI), said: “We congratulate Princes, and all stakeholders involved, for taking a leading position in undertaking this industry-first human rights due diligence analysis in the Argentinian beans and pulses supply chain.  We are pleased to see that the insights are being shared collaboratively across the industry to enable all stakeholders involved in sourcing products from Argentina to be able to understand and apply some of the insights.  At ETI, our vision is a world of work that protects human rights, ensures dignity for all, provides opportunity and is free from exploitation and abuse.  Through undertaking enhanced assessments of key value chains, Princes demonstrates important sector understanding and leadership to enable it to turn insights into action.” 

Based on the findings of the HRIA, Princes will implement an action plan in collaboration with suppliers and partners across five key areas: 

Grievance mechanisms 

• Promoting the Princes ‘Speak Up’ hotline and monitoring incidence reporting 

Health and safety 

• Enhancing compliance to driving regulations and standards  
• Engagement with indigenous communities 
• Supporting supplier engagement with local indigenous groups and training colleagues on non-discrimination and respect for indigenous people’s rights 

Gender equality 

• Promoting the engagement of women across all levels of the industry and enhancing training to tackle the risk of gender-based violence and harassment 

Value chain transparency & supplier engagement 

• Enhancing visibility at all levels including farm, transportation and processing. Exploring certifications to independently verify sustainable and ethical practices at farm level 

The HRIA was conducted throughout 2022 in Northern and Central Argentina, across the regions of Salta and Córdoba.