Vendor & Labor Standards

Mission: To move corporations in a systemic and systematic way to improve wages and working conditions within all elements of the global supply chain.

Issues include:

• Vendor Codes of Conduct based on the International Labor Organization Standards
• Compliance procedures, including independent monitoring of factories and reporting to shareholders and the public

Chocolate Giant Commits to Responsible Supplier Code
Concerned about allegations that child labor in hazardous conditions is widespread on cocoa farms in West Africa, especially the Ivory Coast which supplies 40% of the world’s cocoa, Walden Asset Management and a coalition of shareholders, including NWCRI, took their concerns to the Hershey Company.

After dialogue, the 2007 shareholder resolution was withdrawn when Hershey agree to develop, implement and monitor an effective code of conduct. John Long, Hershey’s Vice President of Corporate Affairs, believes that Hershey’s response to shareholders’ request is in keeping with the company’s values.

“Hershey’s has always given back to the community as part of the fabric of who we are. Now we are thinking more broadly of what community means.”

Child Labor in West African Cocoa Production Issues and US Policy
The News on Chocolate is Bittersweet
The US Labor Department’s 2005 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor

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