The illusion of social improvements: A case study of the role of Fishery Improvement Projects (FIPs) in fairwashing the UK Nephrops fishery

Fishery improvement projects (FIPs) are attempting to manage the labor dimensions of social responsibility through non-binding mechanisms that directly contradict the tenets of worker-centered approaches. Using the UK Nephrops FIP as a case study, we combined data from worker grievances reported to trade unions, government agencies, and researchers to demonstrate how the FIP concealed several cases of potential forced labor, in addition to other labor abuses, from the retailers and buyers rewarding them with market access. Linking the failure of the UK Nephrops FIP to core components of the FIP model such as reliance on self-implemented risk assessments, frequent alterations of conditions and deadlines to be met, and the absence of root cause analyses, findings suggest that FIPs operating in industrialized fisheries highly reliant on migrant labor are fairwashing their purported achievements. Consequently, retailers and buyers must forego FIPs and instead commit to supporting worker-driven binding alternatives to achieve their social responsibility objectives, particularly under increasing human rights due diligence regulations.