The work within the Council on Ethics’ focus area dedicated to child labour and forced labour addresses sectors where the risks are particularly high, especially in the supply chain. The cocoa industry is a clear example, a global sector characterised by small‑scale family farming and a complex supply chain. Anna Warberg, Engagement Director, shares insights from the Council on Ethics’ projects related to child labour in the cocoa industry.
Why has the Council on Ethics chosen to address child labour in the cocoa industry?
The presence of child labour in the cocoa industry has been highlighted for many years, and its existence continues to be a material risk for cocoa and chocolate companies. In Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana – the world’s leading cocoa producers - it is estimated that 1.5 million children work within the cocoa supply chain. Child labour in the cocoa industry is often conducted at the expense of schooling and many of these children are estimated to carry out dangerous work. At the same time, the work contributed by children is often essential to their families.
To what extent has the Council on Ethics previously engaged with the issue?
The Council on Ethics has previously participated in a project related to child labour in the cocoa industry. The project involved dialogue with seven major cocoa and chocolate companies. The aim of the project was to for concrete measures to be taken and that child labour in cocoa farming was reduced, with the long-term goal of eliminating it entirely.
When the project concluded in 2022, the Council on Ethics noted that companies had improved and expanded the implementation of child labour monitoring and remediation systems. It was also noted that companies had taken steps to enable living incomes for cocoa farmers. However, many deeply rooted challenges remain, and in 2025 the Council on Ethics decided to follow up on the work with the help of analysis from service provider Morningstar Sustainalytics.
What conclusions does the Council on Ethics draw from the work so far?
The follow-up project shows that companies have continued to improve their management of child labour risks in their supply chains, but there is room for improvement.
Amongst other things, the companies should:
- Extended reporting about child labour monitoring and remediation systems to cover the entire supply chain, not only direct suppliers to cocoa and chocolate companies
- Improve transparency regarding strategies linked to living incomes for cocoa farmers
- Develop plans to strengthen farm-level traceability among both direct and indirect suppliers
- Make use of all the data collected through various programmes in recent years, to build models that can predict child labour risks
The Council on Ethics has provided feedback to the companies with these recommendations and encouraged them to continue this important work.
Further information about the Council of Ethics’ work on child labour within the cocoa supply chain can be found in the annual report.
