[PDF] Independent external monitoring of Nestlé's cocoa supply chain in Ivory Coast: 2014-2015
The FLA annually conducts independent assessments of a sample of each affiliated company’s supply chains. For Nestlé in Ivory Coast, the FLA has been monitoring since 2013 a growing portion of its cocoa supply served by the Nestlé Cocoa Plan (NCP). As of mid-2015, the NCP represented around 25 percent of Nestlé’s total cocoa supply chain. This report summarizes the FLA’s findings for its 2014 assessments, the companies’ responses to the 2014 findings, and company actions taken in 2014 in response to the 2013 round of assessments...assessors identified one case where a young worker was limited in his freedom to use his wages at his own discretion. The farmer arranged the employment relationship with the worker’s parents and it was agreed that the salary would be paid to them instead of the worker. In addition, although the young worker has been working for almost two years for the farmer, his salary for the first year was still not paid at the time of the visit...Nestlé reported that they immediately investigated this case and engaged with the parties to find remedial measures. As a result, a new contract was signed between the worker and the producer who committed to paying his salary at the end of the contract...assessors identified a total of 25 child workers younger than 15 years old during farm visits...The FLA alerted Nestlé to all child labor findings, which led to immediate actions and remediation in cooperation with the Cooperative Group Administrator and the children’s families...Assessors found a number of health and safetyrelated non-compliances at all visited farms...