13 December 2021
We are delighted to have partnered with The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and UNICEF to develop a new guide for business leaders Tackling Child Labor: An Introduction for Business Leaders.
The report describes tangible steps business leaders can take to ensure that their companies are leveraging their full potential to support the elimination of child labour in their business operations and supply chains.
The United Nations designated 2021 as the International Year for the Elimination of Child Labour, encouraging legislative and practical actions to eradicate it worldwide. This is in line with the ambition of eliminating child labour in all its forms by 2025, as enshrined in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) under target 8.7.
Yet, latest data suggests that the world is falling dramatically short when it comes to this collective commitment. Currently, 160 million children are in child labour worldwide, with millions more at risk due to the impacts of COVID-19. At current rates of progress, and without urgent prevention and mitigation measures, it is estimated that 140 million children will still be in child labour by 2025.
Businesses have an integral role to play in tackling child labour and positively changing the lives of children by addressing the root causes. The report defines three key areas where business leaders can take meaningful action to support the elimination of child labour, highlighting the importance of:
- Integrating robust children’s rights considerations into core business strategy, activities, processes, decisions and relationships
- Investing in the company’s capacity to address and prevent child labour and in local community resilience; and,
- Inspiring others to take meaningful action, both internally within the business and externally with partners, suppliers, industry peers, governments and local authorities.
“With child labour remaining a constant challenge for businesses, we are delighted to partner with WBCSD and UNICEF and share our team’s experience in supporting business leaders to tackle child labour.” Luke Wilde, Founder and Managing Partner.
We would like to thank IKEA, Mars, Cargill, Olam, Twinings, VF Corp, and The Responsible Mica Initiative for inviting us in and sharing the steps that they are taking to tackle child labour.