Legislation
It has been over two decades since the big chocolate companies promised to end child labour in the cocoa supply chain. In 2001 they signed the Harkin–Engel protocol, which pledged to end the worst forms of child labour within five years. In 2010, after failing to meet their deadlines three times, the pledge was extended to reduce child labour by 70% by 2020. This deadline was also missed and now the protocol has run out. Today 1.56 million children are still working illegally on cocoa farms in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire. It’s been over 20 years and despite numerous voluntary programs and agreements, not much has changed. It’s fair to say industry efforts are insufficient and that little progress has been made (Cocoa Barometer 2020). That’s where external, legislative force comes in. The prioritization of company profits over human rights needs to stop now. Governments must regulate corporate behaviour to end injustice in value chains that span countries and continents. Officially this is called ‘corporate accountability and human rights due diligence’, which means businesses must be held accountable for checking and resolving social and environmental injustices that happen when they source materials and manufacture products.
The six steps of due diligence outlined by the OECD due diligence guidance for responsible business conduct in 2018 show what responsible business models should look like: Mission allies in sector initiatives The partnerships between companies, public sector organizations and civil society organizations aim to make the cocoa sector more sustainable by taking action together. Tony’s is part of the Dutch Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa, as well as its Belgian
Annual reporting
Tony’s Open Chain business model
equivalent, Beyond Chocolate. AHOLD Delhaize (Albert Heijn’s mother company) and ALDI Nord are members of Beyond Chocolate, Albert Heijn and Superunie (PLUS is part of the Superunie buying group) signed the Dutch Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa, ALDI South is a signatory of the German Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa and ALDI Suisse is a member of the Swiss Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa.
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Tony’s Open Chain impact report 2021/22
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