Date of publication: April 14, 2009
Source: Confectionery News
Author: Lindsey Partos
By Lindsey Partos
Labour watchdog International Labor Rights Forum (ILRF) recognises Mars' recent road map for sustainability as “an important step forward” but claims the chocolate behemoth needs to push further into Fairtrade certification.
Their views come days after global chocolate player Mars pledged to sustainably source 100,000 metric tonnes of cocoa annually by 2020, forging a multi-year, multi-country deal with sustainability certifier Rainforest Alliance to source “a significant portion” of the firm's total cocoa requirements.
"This recent announcement does not do enough to ensure that workers are not exploited in the company's global supply chain," said Bama Athreya, executive director of the International Labor Rights Forum...