"Modern slavery is still lurking in your coffee cup", 10 January 2024

...Despite repeated promises from coffee multinationals to do better, their supply chains are still riddled with cases of modern slavery. As shown in a new analysis by SOMO and Conectas, this dark reality is particularly evident in Brazil, the world’s leading coffee producer. Brazil’s coffee workers are subject to forced labour, debt bondage, abysmal working conditions, and other forms of exploitation...

Abuses documented over the years in the supply chains of Nestlé, JDE, Illy, Dunkin’ Donuts, McDonald’s, and Starbucks show that these voluntary standards, touted as safeguards against human rights abuses, are just not up to the job. They either fail to sufficiently detect labour abuses or are easily circumvented by unscrupulous employers...

The persistence of modern slavery on Brazilian coffee plantations demonstrates the need to strengthen binding legal and regulatory frameworks on due diligence and forced labour...