A new campaign around World Chocolate Day aims to help consumers understand the exploitation that too often accompanies the farming, trade and production of chocolate treats — while highlighting the positive impacts of choosing fair and ethically sourced cocoa.
July 7 is World Chocolate Day — and while celebrating this delicious luxury,
brands are also seizing an opportunity to educate consumers on cocoa's bitter
costs.
And as the Supreme Court’s recent ruling in Nestle (and Cargill) v John
Doe
has reminded us, one of the cocoa industry’s chief injustices is the use of
child labor. A new UN report estimates that
160 million children globally
are trapped in child labor systems. It’s estimated that 2 million children are
working in the cocoa industry; and the COVID-19
pandemic’s effects on
West African cocoa farmers has only worsened the situation.
To shed light on this topic, Fairtrade
International
recently launched a global, consumer-facing initiative to elevate the stories of
cocoa farmers in West Africa and illuminate the injustices in the global cocoa
trade system. Crowning the campaign is a stop-motion animation
film, called "Unwrap a Fairer Future,"
that follows the creation of two chocolate bars: one certified Fairtrade and the
other un-certified. The film and the engagement around World Chocolate Day aims
to help consumers understand the exploitation that too often accompanies the
farming, trade and production of chocolate treats while highlighting the
positive impact of choosing fair and ethically sourced cocoa.
However, it will take more efforts like this — alongside the work of businesses,
certifiers, governments, farmers and shoppers — to root out the exploitation of
children in cocoa.
Addressing the root causes
Defying Online Algorithms with Authentic, Impactful Storytelling
Join us as representatives from BarkleyOKRP lead a thought-provoking discussion with two brands that care deeply about their workers' rights and wellbeing, Tony's Chocolonely and Driscoll's, about how to successfully involve consumers in social-justice issues with authentic storytelling that defies online algorithms — Friday, May 10, at Brand-Led Culture Change.
Child labor in cocoa isn’t an isolated
problem;
it’s deeply connected to the greater issue of poverty. Without a decent income
from their crops, farmers must rely on the cheapest available labor in order to
stay afloat. Farmers and workers too often bear the burden of cost-cutting to
keep consumer goods cheap, earning less for their work and their produce. The
less producers earn, the more children are at risk.
This is why organizations and businesses have to start at the beginning of the
chain to make a real difference in combatting child labor. Achieving living
incomes for cocoa
farmers
is critical. By tackling the deeper problem of poverty through better prices
paid to farmers and premiums reinvested in farm and community development, cocoa
farms don’t need to rely on cheap child labor to make ends meet.
Envisioning a different supply chain
As the Fairtrade International “Bitter Sweet” campaign shows, a supply chain
that prioritizes the people at the heart of a
product
is a direct investment in tackling issues such as child labor. For consumer
goods companies, that could start with having an ethical source of cocoa.
Tony’s
Chocolonely
blazed a trail with its mission to make slave-free chocolate the standard
throughout the industry. More recently, Nature’s
Path
announced that it would source Fairtrade-certified cocoa for all of its
products.
A better deal for cocoa farmers is also a better deal for kids. When brands take
their role in cocoa trade reform seriously and help consumers understand the
difference their shopping choices can make, big change can happen.
Published Jul 7, 2021 2pm EDT / 11am PDT / 7pm BST / 8pm CEST
Sponsored Content
/ 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.