In the ruthless, dog-eat-dog world of business, companies are doing all they can to stay competitive. Attempting to bring in more profit, some businesses are electing to use locally sourced products and in turn, raise their prices, while others are opting for a different route: cheaper labour.
Nestlé is a company that falls under the latter category. Their products range from baby food to coffee to bottled water. However, they are best known for their chocolate. Aéro, Coffee Crisp, KitKat, and Smarties, to name a few, are the foundation of every trick-or-treaters bag at Halloween time. Although these sweet treats bring delight to the majority of children, there are a select few who do not share this same sentiment.
Child labour is still proving to be a persistent problem on Nestlé’s cocoa farms, which have 83 workers under the age of 18 in their employ, as of December 2014. Expecting adolescents to use machetes bigger than themselves in order to cut costs is morally and ethically wrong in numerous ways. Not only does this put the children in danger, but it also denies them potential educational opportunities. Without proper schooling, they will be limited to very few jobs in the future. In addition, Nestlé is in direct violation of their employees’ Human Rights, as outlined by the United Nations. Although it explicitly says in their Supplier Code of Conduct that they acknowledge child labour is prohibited, their actions and choices obviously contradict it. This company’s behaviour has been unacceptable but they have done little to improve the situation as Nestlé’s sole focus is earning more money and they do not care at whose expense.
Sources:
Child Labour on Nestlé Farms: Chocolate Giant’s Problems Continue
Cocoa Sustainability to Take 50 More Years without Change
Is there Slavery in your Chocolate?