Recent and ongoing projects
Human Rights Due Diligence (HRDD), Socioeconomic Baseline and Social Action Plan for Lush’s organic cocoa supply chain sourced through Tradin Sierra Leone (TSL) in Eastern Sierra Leone.
Mission:
Insuco conducted a full Human Rights Due Diligence of Lush’s cocoa supply chain, assessing ten rights — including the prohibition of child and forced labour, occupational health and safety, living income, freedom of association, non-discrimination, prevention of gender-based violence, the right to a healthy environment and access to remedy.
The methodology combined a documentation review, field work carried out from 12 to 20 January 2026, and data analysis. Our team held 14 focus group discussions and 10 key informant interviews, and surveyed 254 farmers across three cooperatives in Kailahun District, with a 30% female sample mirroring the supply base.
Findings were benchmarked against the UN Guiding Principles, the International Bill of Human Rights, ILO core conventions and Lush and Tradin policies, and each impact rated by scale, scope and irremediability.
Results:
The assessment found no major risks — all ten rights rated moderate or low. It confirmed strong farmer awareness alongside real gaps: child and contributing family labour involving children under 13 (though largely without interrupting schooling), limited use of protective equipment, and a majority of farmers (64%) earning below the living income benchmark. Most impacts fall under “responsibility of association”, where TSL’s role is one of leverage and support rather than direct cause.
Deliverables include the HRDD report, a stakeholder mapping, a socioeconomic baseline, a summary risk table and a prioritised Social Action Plan built around four axes: TSL institutional strengthening, child protection and health & safety, economic resilience, and inclusive cooperative governance. The work gives Lush a defensible due diligence record and a concrete roadmap to strengthen human rights across its sourcing.
Beyond the report, we gifted Lush a podcast summarising the key findings and the Social Action Plan in an accessible format the team can share internally, across departments.