Paris Bound: Bridging the Outcome Gap at the OECD Forum
- Kate Robinson
- 13 hours ago
- 3 min read
By Kate Robinson
February 2026
Will this be the year we finally break the endless cycle of risk identification and start delivering real social impact?
Between 11-12 February, I’ll be heading to Paris to attend the OECD Forum on Due Diligence in the Garment and Footwear Sector—my first time at the Forum since founding the Outcome Gap in 2023.
The past three years have been a rewarding period of learning and rapid growth for our new organisation. I want to begin by thanking the clients, colleagues and conspirators who have jumped on board this particular journey with us, and who are genuinely committed to pushing beyond compliance to better understand, measure and deliver impact.
Why HRDD alone is not enough
Over more than 20 years working across business, human rights and impact management, one lesson has become unmistakably clear: Human Rights Due Diligence (HRDD) on its own does not deliver impact.
HRDD is an essential management system for identifying risks and mitigating harm—but it is not an improvement mechanism. Too often, apparel and footwear companies find themselves stuck in an endless loop of risk mapping, audits and corrective action plans, without clear evidence that conditions are actually improving, sustainably, for workers.
They’re unable to have the two-way conversations they need to be having with internal colleagues, suppliers and workers, and have no means of being held to account on their HRDD.
Without robust Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL), integrated data systems and actionable insights, organisations will continue to struggle to meet their human rights ambitions.
What we need now is an HRDD+ approach—one that puts MEAL at its core and enables companies to move decisively from risk management to measurable, sustained social impact.
Introducing HRDD+: closing the outcome gap
HRDD+ is about answering the question that traditional due diligence rarely does: what is actually changing, for whom and why?
This is where the Outcome Gap comes in. Our focus is the space between activities undertaken (audits, training, policies) and the real-world results they are intended to achieve. Closing this gap requires data-driven strategies, clear theories of change and learning systems that support continuous improvement.
How the Outcome Gap can help
Our mission is to support suppliers, buyers, and civil society to improve human rights by building capability and confidence in social impact management.
What sets us apart is our commitment to transparency, accountability and safety. We believe supply chain data should not be something done to people, but something used with them to drive lasting change.
We combine deep responsible sourcing expertise with advanced data analytics and MEAL techniques. Our team includes seasoned human rights lawyers, working alongside social impact specialists and data scientists—bringing rare technical rigour to social impact challenges.
How we help you bridge the outcome gap
We work with organisations in three core ways:
Assess: We conduct statistical and evaluative reviews of existing data and evidence—such as social audits and capability-building programmes—to understand what is genuinely working and what is not.
Equip: We support the development of impact strategies and measurement frameworks using a Theory of Change approach, turning human rights risks into actionable, outcome-focused targets.
Implement: We are partners in the delivery of your ambitions. Through our managed data services and tech transformation support, we address data interoperability and communications challenges, enabling clear insights across complex systems.
Proven impact
Our approach delivers real-world results for leading consumer brands:
“The Outcome Gap has been 100% value-add. They helped us validate our thinking and pointed us in the right direction.”
Sustainability Director, global footwear brand
Let’s meet in Paris
If you’re attending the OECD Forum and want to explore how to get more value from your data—or how to move your strategy from compliance to impact—do message me on LinkedIn.
Let’s make 2026 the year we discard the systems that no longer serve us, and instead build ambition and accountability into our HRDD.
