Send a petition to Hershey CEO John Bilbrey Saying…
Raise the Bar Hershey!
We Will Not Tolerate Child or Forced Labor in Cocoa!
Raise the Bar Hershey!
We Will Not Tolerate Child or Forced Labor in Cocoa!
From the Executive Summary of Time to Raise the Bar: The Real Corporate Social Responsibility, published in 2010 by Global Exchange, Green America, International Labor Rights Forum, and Oasis USA:
Despite almost ten years of commitments from Hershey and other major chocolate companies to take responsibility for their cocoa supply chains and improve conditions for workers, significant problems persist. Abusive child labor, trafficking, and forced labor continue to plague the West African cocoa industry. The farmers in this region, which supplies the majority of the world’s cocoa, live in poverty, while major chocolate corporations continue to amass large profits.
Hershey lags behind its competitors when it comes to taking responsibility for the communities from which it sources cocoa. Hershey has no policies in place to purchase cocoa that has been produced without the use of labor exploitation, and the company has consistently refused to provide public information about its cocoa sources.
While Hershey’s CEO received an $8 million compensation package in 2009, many of the farmers who grow cocoa in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana that ends up in Hershey products are barely able to cover their costs.
Call out to Hershey Interim CEO, John to Raise the Bar.
I believe that Hershey should be a leader in ensuring that the rights of workers and farmers are respected in the production of chocolate – from bean to bar. Hershey must do more to ensure an end to child labor, forced labor and trafficking in its chocolate products by supporting the demands of the “Raise the Bar” campaign. It’s time for Hershey to Raise the Bar by tracing the sources of its cocoa and shifting toward Fair Trade Certified cocoa. By purchasing Fair Trade Certified cocoa, Hershey can truly fulfill its mission to bring sweet moments of Hershey happiness to workers, farmers, children, consumers and shareholders worldwide every day!
Thank you,