Somewhere along the tangled web of global supply chains, a worker clocks in another day, unseen and unheard. Their labor fuels industries, yet their conditions remain invisible—hidden behind spreadsheets, audits, and distant corporate policies. Exploitation thrives in these shadows, undermining not just human dignity but the very resilience of businesses that depend on these supply chains.

This was the reality that stirred &Wider into action. Founded in 2014 in the wake of the Marikana platinum mine tragedy—a stark reminder of what happens when worker voices go ignored—&Wider began with a simple but radical belief: listening changes everything. Their first engagement, partnering with a multinational fishing company, wasn’t just about data collection; it was about trust. Workers themselves helped shape the methodology, proving that real change starts when those on the ground are given a platform to speak.

What began as face-to-face engagements soon evolved into a digital revolution. Early experiments with apps and external tech providers taught invaluable lessons, leading &Wider to build their own proprietary platform—scalable, secure, and designed to turn worker feedback into actionable insights. Today, their tech team operates from a sunlit office in Cape Town, while their client and operations teams span Amsterdam, Europe, and North America.

How &Wider Delivers Change

Business-Level Monitoring: The Frontline of Visibility

At the core of &Wider’s solution is Business-Level Monitoring—an intelligent, always-on system that enables companies to monitor human rights impacts or working conditions whenever and wherever needed. This is more than a dashboard; it’s a strategic partner in responsible sourcing.

Offering flexible pricing based on workforce size and monitoring frequency, this tool provides real-time, high-quality data enriched by strong visuals and interpretation. But the technology is only half the equation—&Wider also offers strategic guidance, helping businesses translate data into meaningful decisions.

Whether a business is just beginning its due diligence or seeking to enhance long-standing efforts, this solution provides the clarity and continuity required to create real progress.

Landscape Assessments: The Bigger Picture

While business-level data is crucial, systemic change requires a broader view. That’s where Landscape Assessments come in. This pioneering service maps human rights risks and improvements across entire sectors and geographies, using live data sourced directly from workers and smallholders.

These assessments uncover more than just red flags. They reveal strengths and opportunities for collaboration, while also distinguishing between risks a business can address internally and those that demand multi-stakeholder action.

With &Wider’s Landscape Assessments, companies can benchmark their performance against aggregated regional data, identify priority areas for improvement, and even share assessment costs with fellow brands sourcing from the same geography. This collaborative model not only builds solidarity among buyers but fosters shared accountability for systemic improvement.

Beyond Data: Amplifying Impact with Add-On Solutions

While &Wider’s core function is human rights data provision, the company goes a step further to ensure that insights are translated into impact. Through thoughtfully designed add-ons, businesses can amplify their efforts.

Customised reporting tools help brands effectively communicate progress to stakeholders, while response protocols guide suppliers on how to act upon worker feedback. These enhancements ensure that improvements aren’t just suggested—they’re implemented and tracked.

Redefining Risk with Live Intelligence

Too often, risk assessments are static, outdated, and disconnected from reality. &Wider rewrites that narrative by offering live, worker-sourced intelligence that evolves with time. From identifying specific human rights risks in different provinces to tracking how and when improvements are made, the company’s assessments offer a dynamic and reliable reflection of working conditions.

The data is granular, insightful, and empowering. Participating businesses don’t just receive their own results—they also gain the ability to benchmark against aggregated industry trends, giving them both perspective and foresight.

The Power of a Human-Centered Future

In the age of ESG, responsible sourcing, and ethical compliance, &Wider stands out not because it offers the loudest voice, but because it listens the most closely. Their technology is sophisticated, but their mission is simple: make the lives of workers better by giving them a voice, and make businesses better by helping them listen.

In a corporate world where transparency is often a buzzword, &Wider has made it a practice. By bringing hidden working conditions into the light and giving companies the tools to act with integrity, they are setting a new global standard for what it means to be truly responsible.

As industries across the globe look to strengthen their ethical foundations and supply chain resilience, &Wider is a company to learn from, partner with, and be inspired by, because in the end, when businesses listen to their workers, everyone wins.

The Staunch-Hearted Leader

Lea Esterhuizen, Founder and CEO of &Wider has spent her career turning invisibility into insight—and insight into action. With 23 years of experience researching state-sponsored violence, forced labor, and human rights abuses across South Africa, Bosnia, the MENA region, and the UK, she has dedicated her work to designing scalable systems that expose exploitation and trigger meaningful change.

Her journey took a pivotal turn in 2012 after the Marikana mine tragedy, which revealed the stark invisibility of workers’ struggles in global supply chains. Two years later, with two young sons in tow, she founded &Wider, a company built on the belief that listening to workers transforms businesses and societies alike.

Lea thrives in diverse, international teams, combining her expertise in complex social dynamics with elegant, data-driven solutions. Now, as AI reshapes risk assessment, she is pioneering ways to leverage &Wider’s vast dataset—spanning 12 sectors and 68 geographies—to predict and prevent human rights violations before they occur.

Fluent in multiple languages and holding degrees from the University of Cape Town, Stellenbosch, and a PhD from the University of London, Lea finds joy in snowboarding, dancing to anything with a beat, and the occasional headstand. But her true passion remains unwavering: turning the lights on where they’re needed most—so the world can no longer look away.

“Using scalable technologies, strong data and support, we unlock better visibility into working conditions; supporting businesses to make continuous improvement in workers' lives, their business practices and supply chains shaping these working lives.”