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In 2016, we partnered with World Wildlife Fund
(WWF) to assess the long-term environmental
and social sustainability risks of our raw materials
supply chain. The prioritized risk assessment run
by WWF examined raw materials by source
country based on publicly available, secondary
data, covering our largest raw materials volume
and spend. The assessment confirmed cocoa and
palm oil as top priorities from a human rights
risk perspective. p. 13
Independent reports show a risk of forced labor
affecting both adult and children in the West
African cocoa supply chain. Research by Verité
commissioned by the International Cocoa Initiative
(ICI), concluded that poverty, price volatility in
cocoa, low levels of education, the nature of smallscale farming and limitations in law enforcement
are root cause factors that drive forced labor. p. 17
Research, including this Fair Labor Association
report commissioned by the Consumer Goods
Forum, have confirmed that forced labor is an
issue affecting the Malaysian palm oil sector.
To better understand how the issue is affecting
migrant workers across the sector, in November
2020 we commissioned an independent
assessment from Embode, together with
suppliers Bunge Loders Croklaan and Cargill.
Embode’s findings and recommendations
continue to inform our approach and the
sector’s actions more broadly.
Recognizing the systemic nature and
its prevalence among migrant workers,
we complement this support to palm oil
suppliers with engagement of key actors of
the Malaysian recruitment market, as well
as joint advocacy towards the Malaysian
government and the government of migrant
workers’ country of origin. p. 19
Most of the world’s hazelnut production comes from
Turkey. Research, including studies conducted by
the US Department of Labor and the Fair Labor
Association have confirmed the risk of child labor in
the Turkish hazelnut sector, which relies on migrant
workers during the harvest season, who often travel to
the hazelnut growing regions with their families.
We joined CAOBISCO’s partnership with the
International Labor Organization to help combat
child labor in seasonal harvesting. This Public-Private
Partnership Agreement contributes to overall policy
advocacy and implementation, expansion of the
knowledge base and improvement of institutional
capacity for the elimination of child labor in the hazelnut
sector. Key outcomes from the program during the
2021 harvest season include awareness raising sessions
with seasonal workers and their families, outreach to
hazelnut orchard owners and labor intermediaries. p. 20