Without oversight or a watchdog, what imperative do companies have to make a tangible impact on the livelihoods of cocoa farmers over increasing profit
margins?
Chocolate is so beloved and ubiquitous that people often forget it is a tropical
treat only grown in certain regions of the world. Cocoa farmers in West
Africa — where two-thirds of the world’s supply is sourced — have long
struggled with extreme poverty and child labor abuses. Cocoa farmers are often
living on less than
$2/day,
fighting the effects of climate change and living with limited infrastructure —
they already have too little bargaining power. Now, a growing movement toward
self-regulation by chocolate manufacturers is aimed at replacing strict yet
effective standards in supply chain monitoring. This may mean a loss of
individual income for cocoa producers, as well as additional payments
Fairtrade offers to invest in programs that strengthen their communities,
such as education or healthcare.
In the almost twenty years since the passing of the Harkin-Engel
Protocol, chocolate
manufacturers have pledged to eradicate child labor from their supply chains,
but little progress has been made. A Fairtrade report found that cocoa farming
households in Cote D’Ivoire earn less than $2,800 per year. The poverty and
child labor issues in cocoa production are complex and require a long-term
commitment to paying fair prices, along with offering supportive resources to
help farmers create strong cooperatives and communities.
Fairtrade International’s rigorous standards and
auditing process ensure cocoa farmers receive fair wages and working conditions,
while internally set sustainability measures and implementation programs can
foster moving-target benchmarks, limited transparency and biased reporting.
Without oversight or a watchdog, what imperative do companies have to make a
tangible impact on the livelihoods of cocoa farmers over increasing profit
margins?
Fairtrade America wants to help both cocoa
farmers and chocolate companies implement effective and ethical sourcing
practices that help resolve the systemic poverty and child labor issues in the
cocoa industry. With the COVID-19 pandemic increasing incidences of child labor
in cocoa farming communities due to school closures and income losses,
companies that profit from the world’s appetite for
chocolate
should support farmers now more than ever.
Navigating the Complexity of Corporate Political Responsibility in 2024
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Published Sep 11, 2020 11am EDT / 8am PDT / 4pm BST / 5pm CEST
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/ This article is sponsored by
Fairtrade America.
This article, produced in cooperation with the Sustainable Brands editorial team, has been paid for by one of our sponsors.