TVETipedia

Those (people and planet) who are affected, intentionally or unintentionally, directly or indirectly, by an entity’s activities and decisions (noting that inaction is also a decision), including:

1. Human-rights holders including workers, local community members, human rights defenders, migrant workers, persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples, consumers and organizations such as trade unions, which are not human-rights holders but may represent them.

2. Customers who use the entity’s products/services

3. Employees who work for the entity

4. Local communities who are directly or indirectly affected by an entity’s activities (e.g. unhealthy factory emissions that negatively affect surrounding local communities; or affordable housing units for underserved communities)

5. Suppliers and distributors who are affected by the entity’s volume of procurement, regulations and quality control (e.g. a zero-tolerance policy on child labor that affects suppliers)

6. The planet, which an entity affects through extracting, using and creating environmental resources; and through pollution that is emitted by these processes.

Source: Adapted from Impact Management Project.

A person, group or organization that has an interest or concern in, or can be affected by the results of, a particular action, objective, system or policy. It is good practice to consult and involve all stakeholders in decisions which affect them.