Protection of children's rights

Child labor remains a critical issue in the cocoa sector. It is a complex issue driven by a multitude of factors, including farming households’ poverty, lack of awareness and access to education, and the high labor costs of cocoa production. In agricultural value chains, especially in the cocoa sector in West African countries, child labor is a persistent and complex challenge, that requires continuous and collaborative efforts from all stakeholders active in the sector.

Lindt & Sprüngli’s cocoa suppliers implementing the Farming Program in countries of origin with a risk of child labor are required to protect children’s rights along the cocoa supply chain by implementing our Child Labor Monitoring and Remediation System (CLMRS) guidance. The CLMRS Guidance Document is an integral part of our contracts with the respective suppliers and describes more specifically our expectations of, and proposed approach to, the prevention, monitoring, and remediation of child labor.

Since child labor is a complex issue which cannot be tackled by individual organizations alone and requires ongoing efforts to improve and further develop sector responses, we joined the International Cocoa Initiative (ICI) in April 2024. We are also engaging in collective action at origin to strengthen access to quality education, such as the Child Learning and Education Facility (CLEF) coalition in Côte d’Ivoire.

CLEF is a coalition dedicated to enhancing access to, and the quality of, education in cocoa-growing regions of Côte d'Ivoire by constructing school infrastructure, training teachers in educational practices, and engaging parents in their children’s learning. The coalition is led by the government of Côte d'Ivoire in collaboration with the cocoa and chocolate industry and philanthropic foundations. Joining CLEF entails a financial commitment for Lindt & Sprüngli to invest a total CHF 1.25 million to support the CLEF program running from 2023 to 2027.

Read more on the protection of children's rights in the latest Sustainability Report.