Efforts to empower women

Nestlé began working to empower women in the cocoa supply chain in Ivory Coast in 2013, and efforts are still ongoing.
In recent months, the company has helped train four cocoa co-operatives on gender issues in order to open more roles to women, such as lead farmers and nursery managers. The co-operatives have now produced their own action plans for improving the positions of women in the cocoa supply chain.

In addition, the number of women who lead and oversee Nestlé cocoa plantlet nurseries has increased from three per cent to 23 per cent. There are a total of 32 Nestlé-run plantlet nurseries.

The new measures are reflected in a progress report published by Nestlé on its Action Plan to help improve the lives of women in its cocoa supply chain in Ivory Coast.

The Action Plan is part of the Nestlé Cocoa Plan programme launched in 2013 in Ivory Coast. It was updated in August 2014, following the Fair Labor Association’s (FLA) assessment of Nestlé’s cocoa supply chain in the country.

Nestlé’s progress report reflects actions it has taken between August 2014 and January 2015. The report discusses Nestlé’s plans for 2015 under three main action pillars: promoting equal opportunities, giving women a voice and helping to increase women’s income.

Nestlé plans to expand the roll out of its Action Plan for female cocoa farmers to Ghana in mid-2016.