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Mondelēz International
Tackling the Root Causes of Child Labour in Cocoa FarmingMondelēz International — one of the world’s largest confectionery, food and beverage companies — launched the Cocoa Life programme in 2012, committing to invest US$400 million in enhancing the sustainability of cocoa farmers, including tackling the root causes of child labour. The programme aims to reach 200,000 cocoa farmers and a million community members by 2022. Mondelēz International has said that by 2025 all of its chocolate brands — including Cadbury and Green & Black’s — will source their cocoa through Cocoa Life.
Cocoa Life focuses on prevention, monitoring and remediation, with an emphasis on addressing the systemic root causes of child labour. In the ‘prevention’ pillar, the programme includes interventions that improve income from cocoa farming as well as additional sources, empower women and improve access to quality education for children. For example, as of 2019, 96% and 88% of school-aged children from Cocoa Life farming families have been regularly attending school in Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire respectively. The ‘monitoring’ and ‘remediation’ pillars are based on the Child Labor Monitoring and Remediation Systems (CLMRS) implemented in partnership with Child Rights International.