Diageo
Protecting workers in climate-exposed rum supply chains
Climate-related labour risk: Extreme heat, dehydration, kidney injury, and productivity loss
Solution pathway: Supply-chain heat-risk assessment, rest, shade, hydration, and hygiene systems
Business type: Large corporate
Sector: Beverages
Geography: Caribbean and Central America
In Practice
Through the Bonsucro Impact Fund, Diageo partnered with La Isla Network and supply-chain partners to assess and reduce heat-related risks in its rum supply chain. The project uses La Isla Network’s “Assess, Address, Assist” approach: first identifying existing risks and gaps in workplace systems, then developing protocols, and finally supporting suppliers to embed changes into daily operations.
The approach includes practical measures such as shaded rest areas, hydration systems, rest breaks, hygiene facilities, worker monitoring, training, and changes to management systems. The aim is not simply to tell workers to drink more water, but to redesign work so people can stay safe and productive in hotter conditions.
The project draws on evidence from the same type of rest, shade, hydration, and hygiene intervention tested in sugarcane production in Nicaragua, where research has shown that worker-protection measures can reduce heat-related kidney injury risks while supporting productivity. For Diageo, this helps protect a climate-exposed supply chain; for workers, it can mean safer conditions, lower illness risk, and better long-term health.
