Nestlé scales up action against child labor and expands cocoa sustainability program

Nestlé has reported significant progress in its efforts to tackle the issue of child labor in the cocoa communities of West Africa. Its latest Tackling Child Labor report (pdf) shows that providing education—for both children and adults—and improving livelihoods remain crucial to prevent and stop child labor.

In 2012, Nestlé took an important step to help vulnerable children in the cocoa sector by pioneering its Child Labor Monitoring and Remediation System. This system allows Nestlé to identify, track, and address child labor in its supply chains. Assistance is provided through community-wide solutions as well as those tailored to individual needs.

Over the past two years, Nestlé has almost doubled its outreach to include 78,580 children across 1,750 communities. In the development phase of the system from 2012 to 2017, Nestlé monitored over 40,000 children in Côte d’Ivoire and identified 7,002 as child laborers.

The system continues to be successful in identifying children involved in child labor, with over 18,000 children found. Through awareness raising and assistance, 55% of these children have been able to stop child labor activities. Nestlé will continue its efforts to provide solutions for all the children identified.

The monitoring and remediation system is part of Nestlé’s broader approach to sustainability in cocoa. Over the past 10 years, the company has invested CHF 220 million (approximately $224 million) in the Nestlé Cocoa Plan. The objectives are to make cocoa farming more sustainable and improve the lives of those living in farming communities.

Building on the progress made, Nestlé will continue to expand its cocoa sustainability program by taking a holistic approach to improving livelihoods in cocoa-growing communities. The company will roll out its Child Labor Monitoring and Remediation System across all its cocoa sourcing areas in West Africa. It will also continue to work with governments, industry peers, and other partners to make a difference beyond its own supply chain.

Press release