FLA_Nestle_Advisory_Nov28.pdf: 166 downloads, before Oct. 1, 2020

Fair Labor Association

English

DigitalCommons@ILR

  Media Advisory 
  November 28, 2011     
 
Media Contact:  
Aaron Pickering 
apickering@fairlabor.org  
 
Nestlé Taps Fair Labor Association to Map Cocoa Supply Chain,  
Accelerate Progress in Eliminating Child Labor 
 
Cocoa, hazelnut projects prepare Nestlé to join the FLA as a Participating Company 
 
Nestlé, the largest food company in the world, has partnered with the Fair Labor Association (FLA) to assess its 
cocoa supply chain in West Africa and to identify whether children are working on the farms. With the cocoa 
harvest fast approaching, this project will launch in December as Nestlé prepares its application to join the FLA as a 
Participating Company. The FLA Board of Directors has agreed to expedite the application process. 
 
Beginning in January, the FLA will send a team of independent assessors to Côte d’Ivoire to map the cocoa supply 
chain.  With approximately 800,000 cocoa farms in the country, companies have struggled to establish where their 
cocoa comes from and under what conditions it was farmed.  The FLA’s methodology will bring consistency and 
transparency to the process, providing Nestlé with the information needed to eliminate instances of child labor in its 
supply chain. As part of the project, the FLA will publish an assessment report along with Nestlé’s corrective action 
plan to address any labor-related issues identified during the investigation. The FLA will then track the company’s 
progress in implementing the plan and verify remediation. 
 
“Working with the FLA will help Nestlé and other stakeholders in West Africa to protect children in the cocoa 
supply chain,” said FLA President and CEO Auret van Heerden. “But eliminating child labor will take an enormous 
commitment from Nestlé and other companies sourcing from the region. This project is a step in the right direction, 
but the real test will be in whether issues uncovered in the investigation are addressed promptly and in a lasting 
manner.” 
 
The FLA has been active in the agricultural sector since 2004, and has helped greatly reduce the risks of child labor 
and other labor rights violations on farms in several countries, including India, Pakistan, Mali and Romania.  The 
FLA developed tools through its Cotton Traceability Project to help affiliates map their cotton supply chains and to 
identify and rank risks. In addition, the FLA has conducted training programs on labor standards, monitoring and 
verification for stakeholders involved in the agriculture sector.   
  
The FLA used its tools and methodology earlier this year during a pilot project with Nestlé, in which the FLA 
investigated possible labor rights violations during the hazelnut harvest in Turkey. An action plan based on the 
findings is being prepared by Nestlé and will be shared publicly at an international forum that is being planned in the 
first quarter of 2012 in Turkey. The forum will bring together companies, academics and civil society organizations 
– including the Stop Child Labor Campaign – to discuss solutions to child labor in the hazelnut supply chain.  
 
“There are dozens of organizations and advocates who have been working on this issue for a long time,” said van 
Heerden. “Eliminating child labor from supply chains will require all stakeholders to come together and share best 
practices, research and lessons learned. No single company or organization can do it alone. Nestlé’s leadership and 
increased commitment is essential to bringing about long-term change in the cocoa industry.” 
 
Progress reports and findings from FLA assessments will be published at www.fairlabor.org as they become 
available.  
### 


Nestlé Taps Fair Labor Association to Map Cocoa Supply Chain, Accelerate Progress in Eliminating Child Labor

eCommons (Cornell Univ.)

https://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2136&amp;context=globaldocs

Nestlé Taps Fair Labor Association to Map Cocoa Supply Chain, Accelerate Progress in Eliminating Child Labor

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

DigitalCommons@ILR

eCommons (Cornell Univ.)