Responsible sourcing

Paula Byrne, sustainability and CSR manager, Association of Chocolate, Biscuits and Confectionery Industries of Europe (Caobisco), describes what is being done to eliminate the worst forms of child labour during hazelnut harvesting in Turkey.

Hazelnuts are widely used in confectionery, bakery and snack products, and Turkey produces 70 per cent of the global harvest.
The chocolate industry, in particular, is a big buyer of hazelnuts. In the US, which is the world’s largest chocolate market, chocolate with hazelnuts was a $21m category last year, up 16 per cent on the previous year.

Following revelations about the poor treatment of workers and particularly children during hazelnut harvesting, Caobisco has been working on a multi-stakeholder approach to improving working conditions in hazelnut orchards in Turkey and boosting supply.

On 11 June 2014 the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and Caobisco signed a public private partnership agreement (PPP) for the extension of the project on the elimination of the worst forms of child labour in seasonal agriculture in hazelnut harvesting in Turkey.
The PPP complements the co-operation on the elimination of the worst forms of child labour in hazelnut farming between the ILO and the Government of the Netherlands and provides a one-year extension of the project, which is being jointly implemented by the ILO and the Ministry of Labour and Social Security of Turkey in the Black Sea province of Ordu.

Background

In late 2010, concerns about working conditions during hazelnut harvesting in Turkey were raised by Stop Child Labour Netherlands through a documentary that was shown on Dutch television. Caobisco and its members took these concerns very seriously.

Caobisco has long recognised that in order to achieve a sustainable future, citizens and communities must be engaged and their needs addressed. Members work together and in partnership with other stakeholders throughout their supply chains to ensure this is the case. With this in mind, it has committed to progress with a multi-stakeholder approach including all parties in the hazelnut supply chain.

For some years now, Caobisco has been working with key stakeholders under the leadership of the Turkish Ministry of Labour and Social Security (MOLSS) and with the technical support of organisations such as the ILO to try to find real solutions and to support the local economic and social developments that in turn address the root causes of poor labour practices in the Turkish hazelnut sector.

As a first step, a thorough investigation involving suppliers, their suppliers, farming communities, farm labourers and the relevant government authorities was undertaken. A working group was established to allow members to discuss a joint approach to addressing the issue. This led to the development of an industry-wide responsible sourcing code [1] and implementation plan. All Caobisco members are encouraged to:

•insert a standard clause in their purchasing contracts aimed at ensuring that products, notably hazelnuts, acquired through their suppliers have been obtained and transformed in full compliance with all local and other applicable laws, regulations and norms, as well as with the requirements established by the applicable international conventions, agreements and/or declarations (ILO and UN Conventions and Human Rights Declaration)

•systematically co-ordinate and verify what concrete steps their suppliers have taken in order to ensure the respect of the above clause

•be prepared to end all commercial relationships with suppliers for which there is undisputed evidence of sustained non respect of the above clause.

Caobisco organised multiple meetings with both Turkish suppliers and the Turkish government over the course of 2011. The proper legal framework is in place in Turkey with regards to the relevant ILO conventions. This can be seen in particular in the Turkish Government’s strategy set out in the National Time Bound Policy and Programme Framework (TBPPF) for the elimination of the worst forms of child labour by 2015 and METIP-The Turkish Government Action Plan to improve the working and social conditions of seasonal migratory workers [2].

Fair labour

In 2011, a report was issued by the Fair Labor Association (FLA), initiated by Nestlé to assess labour practices in the Turkish hazelnut supply chain. In early 2012, Nestlé created an action plan on responsible hazelnut sourcing [3]. The Action Plan also included steps aimed at raising awareness among upstream suppliers and at an industry-wide level. Caobisco and its members were given the task of initiating a multi-stakeholder process in Turkey.

Caobisco engaged with the Turkish Ministry of Labour and Social Security (MOLSS) to chair the first roundtable meeting in July 2012. Under the chairmanship of the under secretary of the Ministry of Labour, the stakeholders laid the foundations for a multi-stakeholder process that would be inclusive, constructive and meaningful. The essential objectives agreed were to follow the implementation of Turkish government policies and action plans to improve labour conditions in hazelnut harvesting. Additionally all parties agreed to communicate on the effective improvements towards the elimination of child labour in the hazelnut supply chain.

Following this stakeholder meeting in Turkey, Caobisco began discussions with ILO on child labour. The ILO and Caobisco signed a project co-operation PPP agreement to be implemented in the Black Sea region province of Ordu during the harvest season in 2013. The PPP complements an on-going project involving the ILO and the Government of the Netherlands.

This project is implemented jointly by the Turkish Ministry of Labour and Social Security and the ILO under the auspices of the Governor of Ordu. The project activities to be implemented with Caobisco funding were initially intended to cover the 2013 harvest season.

The project is the first such PPP for ILO Turkey. A spokesperson says: “It [the PPP] demonstrates how multinational companies, working in partnership with ILO constituents, can achieve sustainable progress in eliminating child labour in their supply chains by raising awareness of child labour and developing a child labour monitoring system in hazelnuts.”

The objective is to develop a strategic intervention model that can be used to contribute to the nation-wide policy to eliminate the worst forms of child labour and improve working conditions of seasonal migratory families. The project is working to improve the local capacity to remove children from working in agriculture and prevent at-risk children from entering such work.

The capacity of public institutions and local NGOs are being enhanced. Importantly, the project identifies new monitoring models and partnerships that can be developed on the elimination of child labour in agriculture in Turkey.

Progress

In 2014, Caobisco members agreed to extend the project over a second harvesting season in order to achieve a more in depth and comprehensive analysis and apply the lessons learned in 2013. It was also agreed to widen the target group and add additional sites in Ordu and the neighbouring province of Giresun. This will also further increase awareness among the general public, the private sector, social partners and policymakers.

Currently, Caobisco and other partners are finalising the extension agreement. An agreement has been made by all the original partners from 2013 as well as Turkish hazelnut suppliers to contribute to an extension of the project until December 2014.

At a recent conference on combating child labour in seasonal agriculture jointly hosted by MOLSS and ILO Turkey in Istanbul, a broad range of stakeholders including government, industry, international organisations, trade unions and non-government organisations came together to discuss mechanisms that needed to be put in place or improved to combat child labour in seasonal agriculture in Turkey.

It was followed by a multi-stakeholder meeting to discuss the activities of the ILO PPP in the 2014 harvest season. Such dialogue demonstrates the willingness of all partners to drive progress.

Conclusion

Improving the socio-economic environment in rural Turkey is a complex task. Caobisco and its members are engaged in the long term to address the root causes of poor labour practices in hazelnut harvesting.
Caobisco is encouraged further by the collaboration of both the Turkish government and its supply chain partners over the past few years.
Caobisco will continue to encourage and promote a constructive and meaningful multi-stakeholder approach in Turkey under the leadership of the Turkish Government.