Nestlé’s & ICI's Child Labour Monitoring and Remediation System (CLMRS) is the most comprehensive yet in place to help children working in cocoa production, according to a report by the STOP THE TRAFFIK Australian Coalition and Baptist World Aid Australia called ‘A Matter of Taste’.
The report assessed the progress made by chocolate companies and certification organisations in combatting child labour in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana
Nestlé is committed to continuing to report on the progress of its CLMRS as part of its 2030 ambition to help improve the livelihoods of 30 million people in communities directly connected to its business activities.
The report found that the Nestlé Cocoa Plan is doing impressive work in terms of child protection, leading the way in the establishment of a child labour monitoring and remediation system along the cocoa supply chain and increasing access to education in rural communities.
Under the Nestlé Cocoa Plan and in collaboration with ICI, launched in 2009, the CLMRS is helping identify children working in cocoa and proposing tailored remedies for each child at risk. Both partners are concentrating on growing the system in West Africa as it is the area of highest risk of child labour.
As the report highlights, education is at the core of the approach. Through its partnership with the International Cocoa Initiative, Nestlé has invested in building new schools, delivering school kits, facilitating access to birth certificates and developing alternative income generating activities for families.