Human rights in air transport – additional power from AI

Finnair is committed to promoting human rights and investigating the human rights impacts of our operations. This commitment covers not only our own operations, but also our supply chain.

Human rights are rights that belong to every person all over the world, such as freedom of speech and opinion, the right to work and decent working conditions, and the prohibition of discrimination – that is, the right to be treated equally.

"For example, if you apply for a job with us, you can be confident that we will provide equal employment opportunities for everyone, regardless of gender, nationality, religion, political opinions, age, sexual orientation, marital status or disability. Our customers and colleagues, on the other hand, can trust that they will be treated with respect, and that we will not accept any form of discrimination, harassment, violence or safety violations," says Annika Rusanen, Social Sustainability Manager at Finnair.

Annika points out that, from a global perspective, suspicions of human trafficking, for example, are a genuine concern in air traffic, and airlines must prepare for them with instructions and training. "We work closely with authorities and airports in the countries where we operate to ensure that any suspected human trafficking is reported and handled appropriately. Our flight and ground service staff have also been instructed on what to do if there is a suspicion that one of our customers may be a victim of human trafficking," says Annika.

Responsibility for human rights extends to the entire value chain

When it comes to promoting human rights, we cannot focus only on our own operations and the people we encounter in them. We also need to look at the actors, people and communities that are involved in the implementation or manufacture of our services and products, and ultimately in their use – in other words, our entire value chain.

Finnair's value chain includes a large number of different operators, from aircraft and fuel manufacturers to ground handling service providers that take care of baggage and aircraft cleaning, for example. We also have a large number of goods suppliers ranging from food suppliers to aircraft spare parts.

Companies that work with us must assure us that their operations do not violate human rights. This is ensured through a separate process called due diligence.

"In practice, we want to know, for example, what kind of working conditions our uniforms are made in. Or how is occupational safety taken care of? Do all our partners pay their employees a living wage?", says Satu Rauhala, who is responsible for responsible procurement at Finnair.

Artificial intelligence helps to manage risks

Finnair's value chain includes approximately 4,000 active suppliers in approximately 80 countries around the world. Operating each flight requires seamless cooperation between operators who can work at very different stages of our value chain.

"We want to have a thorough understanding of the human rights impacts that can occur in our value chain. Although no serious human rights violations have been reported at Finnair, our value chain is extensive, and shortcomings are always possible when it comes to long supply chains," Satu continues.

Finnair strives to identify and intervene in any shortcomings proactively. Among other things, we have introduced artificial intelligence (AI) to strengthen the transparency and risk management of our supply chains. It helps us ensure that our procurement decisions support sustainability and risk management goals from the very beginning of the supplier relationship.

Among other things, the AI-based tool monitors global news, social media and other public information sources in real time and warns of potential misconduct, economic instability and disruptions that could affect our suppliers or supply chains.

"In practice, technology acts as our eyes and ears in different parts of the world. Artificial intelligence can process a huge amount of information in many different languages, which makes even small or very local challenges visible. Based on the information, we are able to find areas for development and fix them together with our suppliers before they cause disruptions," Satu explains.

Why is accurate monitoring necessary?

No significant direct human rights risks or impacts have been identified in Finnair's own operations. So, are supplier monitoring and such detailed risk management necessary?

"Yes, it is," says Satu. "For us, human rights issues are an essential part of risk management and supply chain monitoring."

The management of risks related to human rights will also be required at the EU level in the form of a separate due diligence obligation (Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive). However, the role of the obligation is currently changing, as changes have been proposed to it that could weaken companies' human rights and environmental responsibility in supply chains.

"The fact is that the risks will not disappear even if regulation is eased. We are committed to promoting human rights and will continue the due diligence process, even if the regulation did not require us to do so," Satu concludes.