People First: How Grupo HAME Embedded Human Rights Across its 29,000 employees

• Established Foundational Policies: Launched the Responsible and Sustainable Production Policy (2019) and an enhanced Sustainability Policy (2021) with a specific governance structure to oversee the Human Rights Action Plan.

• Ensured Top-Level Leadership: Leadership from the highest governance level, including the Board of Directors, set the "tone at the top" to ensure respect for Human Rights.

• Created Oversight Structures: Established a governance structure to oversee the Human Rights Action Plan and formed the External Advisors Sustainability Committee (2022) to reinforce accountability and alignment with international standards.

• Conducted Risk Assessments: The company commissioned its first Human Rights Impact Assessment (HRIA) with an external expert in 2017. This baseline assessment was conducted at the corporate level, covering the entire Group, and provided a clear understanding of potential risks related to labor rights, discrimination, and community relations. Since 2023, the company has adopted a more localized approach by conducting HRIAs at the operational level. Each operation now carries out its own HRIA and develops a specific action plan, allowing for a more tailored and effective risk management strategy. 

• Aligned with International Standards: Performed a corporate gap analysis against international standards and carried out further HRIA and forced labor risk assessments in 2023, along with corresponding action plans.

• Launched Grievance Mechanisms: The MQC was launched in 2018 in one operation and expanded across the Group in 2019. It is an open, toll-free, confidential, and secure channel—managed by a third party—for receiving concerns, complaints, and reports from any stakeholder, including employees, communities, and civil society. Available in Spanish and Q’eqchí, it is handled by an independent Compliance team that reports to the Board’s Oversight Committee, ensures proper investigation, and proposes resolutions based on national law and internal policies.

   

• Ensured Credibility: The company strengthened the mechanism’s legitimacy by undergoing independent audits (e.g., by Transparencia Internacional / Acción Ciudadana in 2024), and by making its functioning and continuous improvement process publicly available through its official platform. This transparency—covering procedures, case handling, and lessons learned—reinforces accountability and fosters greater trust among stakeholders.

• Launched Internal Training: Through “Escuela HAME,” the company’s virtual education platform for administrative staff, a mandatory Human Rights course was launched in 2022. It reaches over 2,000 employees and covers key topics such as an introduction to human rights and business, labor rights, zero tolerance for harassment or intimidation, community engagement, and environmental responsibility.

   

• Addressed Educational Barriers: The company adapted its traditional “train-the-trainers” model to the specific needs of human rights education in large and dispersed operations. To ensure neutrality and avoid conflicts of interest, it selected non-supervisory employees as facilitators to deliver sensitive content, supported by professional communication experts and internal training teams. The approach was reviewed by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Guatemala and reinforced through continuous awareness campaigns, ensuring consistent, credible, and accessible learning across all levels of the organization.

• Drove Industry-Wide Change: Expanded training access across the Latin American palm oil industry in partnership with Bunge, Proforest LATAM, and GREPALMA, sharing the program with over 250 individuals (producers, traders, refiners, brokers, and retailers) across 16 countries (2024).

• Defined Commitment: Adopted a formal Gender Commitment (2020) to ensure equal conditions and opportunities for all. The Group has launched action plans to promote and safeguard maternity and reproductive rights, prevent sexual harassment and discrimination, and, more recently, to proactively support women's leadership and empowerment through training and awareness efforts with senior management across operations.

• Created Dedicated Committees: Established a Corporate Gender Committee (2020) and supported the formation of Gender Committees across operations, with employees playing a key role in implementation.

Leadership commitment at board level is critical for credibility and implementation. Mid-level managers must be engaged early to ensure consistent implementation.
 

Stakeholder engagement through grievance mechanisms and external advisors strengthens accountability.
 

Adapting to cultural and educational contexts makes training effective and inclusive.