MODERN SLAVERY IN THE COCOA INDUSTRY

We get asked about Modern Slavery A LOT. It is an issue front-of-mind for senior executives, procurement managers and sustainability professionals.

And this is why: in the cocoa industry, for example, it is reported that ~2.1 million children work on cocoa farms in Ghana and the Ivory Coast. Devastatingly, targets to reduce child labour by 70% this year WON’T BE ACHIEVED – and the World Cocoa Foundation is saying that a new approach is urgently needed.

This is just one of a host of major challenges for the cocoa industry, which is facing low farmer incomes, overproduction, fluctuating prices and negatives impacts from climate change.

Given that consumer demand for cocoa products is increasing (the US market for chocolate is expected to exceed US$30 billion in 2021), the industry faces significant risk of instability and disruptive forces.

Recently, the @Rainforest Alliance recently announced that it is strengthening its cocoa certification program – including stricter audit rules, greater traceability and enhanced performance monitoring systems.

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Source: https://www.rainforest-alliance.org/business/innovating-certification/rainforest-alliance-announces-strengthened-cocoa-certification-program/