Making a Difference on Child Labour in Cocoa

At Nestlé we use cocoa for many of our global brands. Addressing child labour in the cocoa sector is closely linked to our values as a company and our business success.  

To tackle this issue, since 2012 we’ve used a pioneering system to identify and help thousands of children working in the cocoa sector. Our results show that this approach can reduce child labour by 50%. Many of the children we’ve reached now go to school full time.

Our progress is detailed in a report produced and published today by the International Cocoa Initiative and Nestlé. It provides the first comprehensive assessment to date of the successes and the challenges remaining in ending child labour in cocoa.

When we started on this journey, it was a step into the unknown.

In 2011, we commissioned the Fair Labor Association to look at the issue and to make its results public.

It recommended we put in place a comprehensive, effective system for identifying kids at risk and working out how to help them. We listened and acted.

What began with two cocoa co-operatives has grown to include 45,000 farmers and over 75 co-ops in Cote D’Ivoire. Now, we’re expanding into Ghana.

We have six years of experience to draw on. Our report analyses the data and includes interviews with those working in and benefitting from the system.

Through adopting an open and realistic reporting approach, we hope that our insights will help other organisations respond effectively to the issue.

Please visit our dedicated website to learn more, hear from those involved and provide us with your thoughts and opinions.

We believe that every child deserves the chance to create their own future.