Nestlé is spending 45 million Swiss francs ($45.13 million) a year on efforts to source cocoa sustainably, the food company said, also citing progress in reducing child labor in its West African supply chain.
The company, which has spent about 220 million francs over the past ten years on efforts to tackle child labor and deforestation in cocoa, said it aimed to have 100% sustainable cocoa sourcing in its confectionary products by 2025.
Nestle’s child labor monitoring and remediation system (CLMRS), a part of its sustainably sourcing scheme, currently covers just 15% of the cocoa it sources in West Africa, where child labor is prevalent.
Coverage under the CLMRS does not mean the elimination of child labor, but means that the issue is being addressed or remedied.
“We’re proud Nestle has made this commitment but (its) a daunting challenge to go from 15% to 100% in five years,” said Nick Weatherill, executive director of the International Cocoa Initiative (ICI), an organization working with governments and industry to eliminate child labor.
Source: Financial Post
