Momentum builds for living wages and incomes
Momentum matters, and at the Living Wage & Living Income Summit 2026 co-hosted by IDH and UN Global Compact in Rotterdam, that momentum was tangible.
More than 500 participants from over 300 organisations joined us, around 70% from the private sector, alongside governments, trade unions, farmer representatives, civil society and knowledge partners.
Under the theme Know It. Own It. Act on It., the day made one thing clear: the conversation has shifted from why living wages and living incomes matter to how to make them part of everyday business. As Jordy van Honk, IDH Global Director Income & Jobs, put it, organisations do not move forward by waiting for perfect clarity. They move forward by taking the next step, learning as they go, and adapting along the way. That is exactly what we heard, session after session, mapped against the five steps of the Living Wage and Living Income Roadmaps.
What the room told us
Our live polling gave us a clear read on where the sector stands. Most attendees are already acting on living wages and living incomes, and urgency was highest wherever regulation and the business case were clearest, suggesting that policy certainty and proof of ROI are what unlock faster action. The questions we heard most often were about scaling, procurement and collaboration. The sector's biggest need right now is less about starting new pilots and more about turning existing ones into practical, repeatable execution.
From the plenary stage
Mr Antonio Sanguino, Minister of Labour of Colombia, opened with a message that set the tone for the day: in a context shaped by geopolitical shifts, technological change and rising expectations around transparency, a living wage strengthens social cohesion, boosts domestic demand, reduces inequality and supports more inclusive, sustainable growth.
Following, Marchel Gerrmann, Acting Director-General for International Cooperation at the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, emphasised that living wages and living incomes are essential to resilient value chains and sustainable trade, and that progress depends on shared ownership across governments, businesses, workers, farmers and civil society.
We also heard directly from the value chain. Julie Greene, CSO at Olam Agri, and Kenneth Barigye, CEO at Mountain Harvest, reminded the room that in staple crops, the agenda is driven by value chain resilience, and that coffee farmers are effectively subsidising the price we pay for our morning cup.
William Uijen, Chief Supply Chain & Operations Officer at Unilever, made the business case from the buyer's side: resilience, rising demand and security of supply all depend on smallholder farmers, and a solid business case is what keeps investment in living wages alive through leadership changes. Julie Vallat, VP Human Rights at LVMH spoke candidly about the journey from policy commitment to gap analysis across the Maisons, and the need for humility in getting there. Aafke Keizer, Global Head of Clients & Portfolio Management, Wholesale and Rural at Rabobank, and Gerbrand Haverkamp, Executive Director at WBA, argued that living wage is fast becoming what carbon already is for climate: the metric investors expect to see.
From the breakout sessions
In the afternoon, breakout sessions took the conversation from principle to practice. Groups worked through the real mechanics of getting living wages and living incomes embedded in day-to-day business, from procurement practices and supplier relationships to measurement approaches and how progress gets reported and shared. Across the board, the same pattern emerged: the biggest gains came from the honest, sometimes uncomfortable comparing of notes between companies, sectors and geographies, rather than organisations trying to work it out in silos.
From the closing
We closed the day with Plenary 3, "Beyond the Conversation," a session built entirely around collaborative momentum: real partners sharing what they are doing right now to close the wage and income gap. Achmea, representing the Platform Living Wage Financials, announced a new investor letter to show broad investor support on living wages, a clear signal that capital is moving alongside companies on this agenda. Ferry Poppegaai of We Wonder Company showed what living income looks like when it is a non-negotiable built into the business model. The ILO's Patrick Belser and FAO’s David Laborde brought the global perspective, naming clearly where the field stands today and what it will take from businesses everywhere to go further. We ended with the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs connecting the dots between policy and practice, sending every participant on with a reminder about the European Commission’s Open Public Consultation, where you can provide feedback on the CSDDD.
Find more information on the Living Wage Due Diligence Shadow Guidance and how to submit feedback in the European Commission’s Open Public Consultation here before August 14th.
What's next
The Living Wage Roadmap and Living Income Roadmap are here to guide the next steps, whichever of the five stages you're working through.
The UN Global Compact's Forward Faster, a global platform for credible, ambitious corporate action, guides companies on where they can make the biggest, fastest impact for 2030.
What stayed with us most from the Living Wage & Living Income Summit 2026 was not any single session, but how many different players, ministries, retailers, traders, brands, investors and civil society, showed up willing to work together.
We thank the UN Global Compact for co-hosting the Summit with us, and for all the Sponsors and Knowledge partners that brought the spirit of collaboration to the room.
