MARKETPLACE - Policies & Commitments

3.1.2 Policies & Commitments:
Product responsibility

Is the company committed to ensuring product safety and product responsibility in relation to products and services that are likely to be used by children or which children could come into contact with?

Scoring options

  • 10 = Yes, the company is publicly committed to ensuring product safety and product responsibility in relation to products that are likely to be used by children or to come into contact with.
  • 5 = The company is publicly committed to ensuring product safety and product responsibility, but this commitment does not specifically cover children.
  • 0 = No, the company is not committed to product safety and product responsibility, or this commitment is not publicly described.

Why is this important?

It is important that a company shows commitment to ensuring the safety of the child consumer (even if indirect), thereby also recognising that the needs, and vulnerabilities, of children differ from the needs of adult consumers, by e.g. commitment to: conducting testing and research of products that are potentially consumed by children; ensuring that children aren’t harmed by exposure to a product/service. It is also the positive actions supporting children’s rights through offering products and services that are essential for children’s survival and development; or seeking opportunities to support children’s rights through products and services, for example through seeking to improve children’s rights already in product development.

About the scoring

A score of 10 is given if the company is committed to product responsibility in relation to children as a stakeholder group, for example in a:

  • Code of Conduct
  • Sustainability Report
  • Annual Report
  • Product safety policy
  • Dedicated part of website

A score of 5 is given if the company is committed to product safety and responsibility including trying to create a positive impact on human rights through products, but children are not specifically and extensively focused on.

N.B. Increasing positive impact through, for example, maximising accessibility and availability of products and services for children and seeking opportunities to support children’s rights through products and services, is also considered when assessing product responsibility.

Indicator reference

Children’s Rights and Business Principles:

  • All business should ensure that products and services are safe, and seek to support children’s rights through them (Principle 5)

OECD MNE Guidelines:

  • Part 1, Chapter 9, p. 48, 115
  • Part 1, Chapter 8, p. 43

ESRS Indicators: MDR-P, S4-1

Methodology

Corporate Sector & Children’s Rights
Benchmark Series

To methodology overview