This is coming from somebody who hardly ever watches Mr Beast content, but I did hear that he was one of the few chocolate producers that actively avoided child labor. I’ve gotta image that makes it harder to make a profit, if I believe it. I’m still not knowledgeable enough to know if I should believe that or not
They talk a good game about eliminating child labor, but always seem to look the other way in their supply chain.
Maybe in the past, but they actually lobbied against the EU diluting the supply chain act which makes companies responsible for human rights abuses of their suppliers.
My best guess it’s that it’s a combination of being sick and tired of being sued and not having due diligence documentation at the ready to defend themselves not just in state courts but also the court of public opinion, as well as the realisation that human rights abuses don’t make cocoa any cheaper for them: It’s not like slave plantations would cut them a share of the extra profit, they’re still paying word market prices. So for them it’s a way to get rid of grift and corruption within their own supply chain and they don’t want to be the only ones playing along those rules.
It definitely isn’t caused by Nestle suddenly growing a conscience, it’s just that making money, for a change, in this specific case, actually aligns with corporate responsibility.
If you buy from some small Latin American or Asian brand there’s a decent chance they might not be involved with child labor (but never any guarantee). For large brands, however, there’s just no way to get enough cocoa without them putting a lot of work and resources into ensuring it is “clean”. And they don’t.
This is coming from somebody who hardly ever watches Mr Beast content, but I did hear that he was one of the few chocolate producers that actively avoided child labor. I’ve gotta image that makes it harder to make a profit, if I believe it. I’m still not knowledgeable enough to know if I should believe that or not
There are a few small scale chocolate companies that actively avoid child labor.
And then there’s Nestle on the opposite side of that spectrum. Not just child labor, but child slavery.
They talk a good game about eliminating child labor, but always seem to look the other way in their supply chain.
Tony Chocolonely
Maybe in the past, but they actually lobbied against the EU diluting the supply chain act which makes companies responsible for human rights abuses of their suppliers.
My best guess it’s that it’s a combination of being sick and tired of being sued and not having due diligence documentation at the ready to defend themselves not just in state courts but also the court of public opinion, as well as the realisation that human rights abuses don’t make cocoa any cheaper for them: It’s not like slave plantations would cut them a share of the extra profit, they’re still paying word market prices. So for them it’s a way to get rid of grift and corruption within their own supply chain and they don’t want to be the only ones playing along those rules.
It definitely isn’t caused by Nestle suddenly growing a conscience, it’s just that making money, for a change, in this specific case, actually aligns with corporate responsibility.
If you buy from some small Latin American or Asian brand there’s a decent chance they might not be involved with child labor (but never any guarantee). For large brands, however, there’s just no way to get enough cocoa without them putting a lot of work and resources into ensuring it is “clean”. And they don’t.