Yet our stores are filled with products contributing to human rights violations and environmental degradation. Rivers turning pink, factories on the verge of collapsing, it’s a daily reality for many.
International legislation, long supply chains and constant global change can feel overwhelming. At the same time, you do value the importance of human- and environmental rights, and want to contribute to a better future. No one wants to contribute to exploitation of people and the planet. But where do you start?
This is where I come in! I help companies, government, civil society, academics and journalists navigate the road towards ethical supply chains.
With years of experience in the professional field and a degree in international law, I combine theory and practice. Through tailor made workshops, consultancy, projects or other guidance we can make improvements together. Making HREDD understandable and accessible. Hands on and impact focussed.
Bangladesh
Chemical management
of dying processes
Brussels
Policy recommendations
on the CSRD, CSDDD,
Forced Labour Regulation,
Ecodesign framework,
Battery Regulation,
Deforestation Regulation
and more
China
Hardwear environmental
due diligence
Worldwide
Company guidance on
forced labour prevention
and mitigation
Guatemala
Gender and women
cooperatives
India
Human rights due
diligence
in spinning mills
Indonesia
Research impacts of new
national labour code
and EU trade agreement
on workers
Pakistan
Fire & building safety
of garment factories
Tanzania
Meaningful stakeholder
engagement of tea farmers
Vanuatu
Environmental due diligence
and smallholder cocoa farmers
Fiji
Environmental due diligence
and smallholder sugar farmers
Whether you’re building a working due diligence system, strengthening legislation, or bridging law and practice — I work with you from the inside, not from a distance: stepping in as your external colleague.
You’re committed to getting this right. But between shifting legislation, limited internal capacity, tight budgets, and suppliers to manage, knowing where to start isn’t always easy. What do you feel like you need?
You have something specific that needs attention — a document to review, a regulation to interpret, a supplier situation to think through. Focused, one-off work with a concrete deliverable: a reviewed code of conduct, a clear answer on whether a product falls under the Forced Labour Regulation, a due diligence policy ready for management, or a considered response to an NGO finding.
You know something needs to change, but you're not sure where to start or what to prioritise. Over a short, defined period we map where your organisation stands — what legislation applies, where the gaps are, and what needs to happen first. The output depends on what is most useful: a gap analysis, a management presentation, or a clear roadmap that tells you what to build next.
You know what needs to be done. Now it needs to be built. Defined projects with clear scope, deliverables, and a timeline. By the end, you have something concrete: a mapped supply chain, a due diligence system in line with the UNGPs and OECD Guidelines, a living wage implementation plan, or a stakeholder engagement process that actually works. These are just a few examples — every project is scoped to what your organisation needs.
For when you need more than occasional help, but aren't commissioning a full project nor hiring a full-time colleague. Available when questions come up, able to review documents, join a call, or think through a complex situation with you. An external colleague who knows your supply chain and can take on a task and deliver — without needing to be managed themselves.
Responsible sourcing only works when the right people understand their role in it. A training on purchasing practices for your buying team, a workshop on green claims legislation for communications, explaining the ESRS under the CSRD to your legal department, or the Digital Product Passport to IT — practical sessions that make complex topics workable for the people who need to act on them.
Civil society space is shrinking and budgets are tighter than ever — while the work of standing up for human rights and environmental protection on the ground has never been more urgent.
With a legal background and hands-on experience as a staff member of NGOs and trade unions, I understand your world from the inside — and can support your work across research, training, legislation, and on-the-ground projects.
Depending on what your organisation needs, I can step in as:
Drafting amendments, responding to consultations, writing policy papers, and advising on legislative strategy so your advocacy lands where it needs to.
Collecting evidence on labour rights and environmental impacts in production countries, mapping how labour law reforms affect workers, and conducting or guiding academic research on topics like purchasing practices and their effects on workers.
Practical workshops and trainings for trade unions and NGOs in production countries, for EU-based staff navigating new legislation, or for human rights defenders building their advocacy capacity. On topics including the CSDDD, Forced Labour Regulation, EUDR, and Digital Product Passport.
Facilitating meetings with politicians, organising speaking opportunities in parliament, organising stakeholder conferences that bring together companies, trade unions, governments, suppliers, and MSIs, and connecting your organisation with companies or field partners where direct dialogue can make a difference.
Leading and coordinating defined projects that bring together organisations, companies, and local partners to make concrete improvements on the ground.
How we work together depends entirely on what you need. This could be a defined project with agreed deliverables, an interim arrangement covering a leave period, or a flexible hours agreement with a monthly maximum used as needed. These are just examples — the shape of the collaboration is always tailored to your situation.
Designing legislation that is ambitious enough to drive real change and workable enough that companies actually implement it is one of the hardest balances in this field.
With a legal background, field experience in production countries, and hands-on work inside companies and civil society, I understand what legislation looks like from every angle. What works on paper, what works in practice, and where the gap between the two lies.
Practical sessions for government staff or companies participating in government programmes: on due diligence, living wages, forced labour, purchasing practices, and more. Grounded in both legislation and what implementation actually looks like on the ground.
Risk mapping of forced labour risks in commodities imported into your country, gap analyses of national or international due diligence legislation, or researching how companies within a country are progressing on CSR. Concrete, evidence-based outputs that inform better policy decisions.
Reviewing draft legislation, advising on policy design, and translating between what companies say is workable and what legislation needs to deliver. Drawing on direct experience with companies, civil society, and legal frameworks to close the gap between intention and impact.
Supporting trade missions from start to finish — advising on which companies and organisations to include, what angle is most relevant, preparing participants beforehand, and capturing key learnings afterwards. And bringing together the right stakeholders for conferences where different worlds need to meet.
The most powerful research and teaching on supply chain sustainability happens when academic knowledge and field reality inform each other.
Law articles and sustainability frameworks can feel abstract in a classroom. I bring them to life — with real cases, field experience, and the kind of challenges that don’t make it into textbooks.
This takes different forms depending on what you need:
For law faculties, business schools, fashion schools, or any programme where students need to understand what supply chain sustainability looks like in practice, not just in theory.
Working with students on real supply chain and human rights questions, bridging legal frameworks and on-the-ground realities.
Speaking at academic conferences or contributing to publications where practitioner experience and field evidence strengthen the research conversation.
Bringing together academics, lawyers, NGOs, and other relevant parties around a specific question or challenge, where different perspectives in the same room produce something none could produce alone.
Do you not recognize yourself in one of the above groups? No worries, feel free to contact me with your questions related to ethical trade. Other activities include: moderating discussions at conferences, advising a procurement department of a governmental institution or helping journalists with research. We need action from all different angles to change global supply chains.
When I was 16 I enjoyed shopping as much as any teenage girl but then I watched the documentary China Blue. A Chinese girl my age, living and working at a jeans factory wondered ‘who buys these billions of jeans that I make? Who needs that many clothes?‘ Answering herself: ‘I will probably never know because I will never see the world outside of the factory gates.‘ This moved me so much. A girl my age.
This sparked a mission to figure out where I could buy sustainable and fair products. And I have been searching ever since: how can we improve wages? How can we lower the impact on biodiversity? What new products can I focus on? Step by step I hope to improve international supply chains. In this, I focus on transferring knowledge, so organisations can integrate sustainability in their business as usual until finally my work will become redundant.
High-level strategy & hands on
“Tara stands out for her unique ability to combine high-level strategy with hands-on experience in CSR policy improvement, both in the EU and in production countries. She is tremendously reliable, going the extra mile to ensure that the voices of rightsholders are present in policy discussions.”
Alena Kahle | FTAO
Real impact on the ground
“Tara is a valuable partner for us. She has extensive knowledge of legal frameworks crucial to any CSR project and knows how to translate them into actionable initiatives, leading to real impacts on workers and the environment. Her clear communication makes complex regulation understandable and workable.”
Neel Bhuinya | Paradigm Shift
Bridges business & trade unions
We closely worked with Tara in various areas. She has considerable expertise in stakeholder engagement, human rights and lobby. She has a good understanding of the position and roles of trade unions and business and as such she is able to give practical guidance and concrete action to key stakeholders in global supply chains.
Ruben Korevaar | Mondiaal FNV
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