An update on our actions to tackle child labor in Guatemala

The possibility of child labor within coffee farms is a reality that our industry faces. It is a reality that Nespresso, and I personally, take extremely seriously. I cannot say firmly enough - child labor is simply unacceptable and has no place in our supply chain. There is unfortunately no easy answer to combat this complex issue, which is often driven by a variety of economic factors and social norms. However, that does not mean that we cannot, together, strive to make change. And I am committed to that. At Nespresso, whenever we see claims that our high standards are not met, we act immediately. That’s why, last year, when we heard allegations of occurrences of child labor in coffee farms supplying to us in Guatemala, we acted. Fast.

Following an in-depth investigation on the ground last March, which sadly confirmed three cases of child labor, we implemented specific actions designed to protect children in Guatemala before the start of the harvest season that has just finished.

Our action plan comprised six elements, which resulted in the following:

1.     Staff: We doubled the team of agronomists and hired dedicated social workers who supported the local families who grow coffee during this past harvest to safeguard their children and reinforce Nespresso’s zero tolerance child labor policy.

2.     Visits to farms: our longstanding NGO partner the Rainforest Alliance and our specialized teams with dedicated social workers conducted in total 497 farm audits and visits, both unannounced and announced, in 433 farms we worked with during the harvest, and I am pleased to report that none of these brought to light any occurrence of child labor. Nevertheless, we are well aware that the risk of child labor is a systemic issue and that there is no silver bullet. That is why we took additional steps and tasked our partner Enveritas to conduct a risk assessment in Fraijanes during this past harvest. Their team conducted 243 announced visits on a random sample of farms and confirmed a small risk of potential child labor. These visits have allowed us to engage more regularly with the farmers on the topic of child labor, raising awareness on the risks and closely monitoring the respect of our AAA Sustainable Quality? Program standards, along with the International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions, as well as local and international laws.

3.     Record-keeping: We have reinforced detailed record-keeping and documentation for temporary workers and their families to ensure fair remuneration with the help of the Rainforest Alliance, who also monitored workers’ working conditions during the harvest.

4.     Childcare: To provide working parents with a safe place for their children to stay, we have expanded a pilot project with a local NGO that provides child friendly spaces on farms during harvest, doubling the welcome capacity. The facilities have provided education and meals to 250 children, while also offering basic pediatric medical consultation. We have already doubled capacity and ahead of the next harvest season, we will expand the project further so that we can welcome more children.

5.     Awareness and training sessions: While organizing group training was a challenge due to Covid, we still managed to conduct dedicated education and awareness sessions on the risks of child labor, for cooperatives, agronomists and farmers. Our NGO partner the Fair Labor Association (FLA) conducted these sessions with experts, raising awareness on the risks of child labor and how to prevent it, supporting agronomists to understand farmers’ personal needs and challenges. A Children’s Right module was also covered by Terre des Hommes and Nespresso.

6.     Grievance mechanism: The Fair Labor Association also supported the development of a grievance mechanism with coffee cooperatives who work with farmers. Along with introducing the technology, we are now helping the cooperatives to understand the benefits of grievance mechanisms, develop the grievance process, and build the capacity to manage grievances. We will continue to work hand-in-hand with the farming community to encourage local ownership and ensure an effective use of the tool.

In addition to the work we’ve done related to the action plan, as we are convinced that we can only make a positive difference on the ground with the involvement and under the advisement of local stakeholders, we are developing, with the help of the Fair Labor Association, a network of local organizations called the Community Child Labor Committee (CCLC), to support on prevention and work with us on remediation activities in case a child labor case is uncovered. With the Fair Labor Association, we have identified and are engaging with specialized civil society organizations and other local agencies to form this committee.

We worked with the three farms found in breach of our child labor AAA Program standards and International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions last year on a remediation plan. A major focus for us is helping farmers to find solutions. Indeed, we believe that plain exclusion of farmers from our supply chain does not help remedy the problem of child labor and that we have a greater opportunity in supporting them to make lasting change. As a result of the remediation process, all three farms were reintegrated into our AAA Program. We are now working with them again and continue to monitor the farms closely.

But we are not stopping there. We will continue to take action to tackle child labor and are strengthening our understanding of the issues through a deep analysis into its root causes in Guatemala – and specifically in the Fraijanes region. This analysis conducted by the FLA is underway. It will help us craft a longer-term plan to address the risks of child labor in the country. We have also developed an integrated and long-term approach to protecting children in coffee producing regions and we will keep strengthening our processes and actions to reinforce child labor prevention, monitoring and remediation.

Unfortunately, child labor is widespread in some countries and eradicating it is, and will remain, a challenge, but we will not shy away from the task. We will continue to strengthen and improve our approach.

I, and my Nespresso colleagues, are wholeheartedly committed to working with coffee farming communities and specialist NGO partners to ensure the protection of children and address the root causes of child labor. I strongly believe that the only way to tackle it is through cooperation and collaboration. We take our responsibility seriously and I call on the coffee industry to work together in tackling this serious problem head on so that we create a better world for all.