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Company Response

5 May 2023

ekaterra's response to allegations of abuses in its tea supply chain

...We know that a living wage is vitally important in addressing human rights and we are taking steps to understand the living wage gap and act on the findings in our supply chains...

Recently, we signed an agreement with IDH-Sustainable Trade Initiative to work on Living Wage in our supply chain. IDH Sustainable Trade Initiative has developed a tool ‘The Salary Matrix’ which allows suppliers to assess how the salaries (including the in-kind benefits) they provide to their workers compare to the living wage benchmark. ekaterra is using IDH Sustainable Trade Initiative’s tool to establish any living wage gaps in its supply chain and to create plans to address identified shortcomings in its tea supply chain. We make sure that the employees in our own tea operations earn a living wage in line with a benchmark approved under the IDH roadmap...

We’re working with IDH Sustainable Trade Initiative and other peers towards a global industry commitment along with other stakeholders...

[The full response is attached]

Part of the following timelines

Bangladesh: Nearly 150,000 tea workers stage a nation-wide protest urging a wage increase equivalent to $3 per day

Bangladesh: Over 400 tea workers face 'acute food crisis' after tea plantation closure; incl. co. response

Sri Lanka: Twenty major plantation companies challenge wage raise for tea workers; incl. buyer responses

Sri Lanka: Workers dismissed for protesting introduction of "unfair" new targets and wage system; incl. co. responses

Sri Lanka: Tea workers protest wage cuts for workers who fail to meet 'unrealistic', increased work targets; incl. co. responses

Uganda: More 250 tea workers strike over employer's failure to implement agreed salary increase; incl. co. responses

Company responses and non-response to allegations of human rights abuses in tea supply chains