Lindt cocoa supply chain lawsuit – overview
- Lindt faces US lawsuit over alleged child labour links
- Complaint alleges misleading human rights and sourcing commitments
- Plaintiff claims cocoa production involved child labour for decades
- Lindt denies allegations and cites supply chain monitoring
- Case seeks marketing changes rather than financial damages
Lindt & Sprüngli has been accused of misleading consumers over human rights in its cocoa supply chain.
The Swiss chocolate maker is being sued in a United States court over alleged use of child labour in Ghana and the Ivory Coast.
According to a complaint filed by public interest law firm International Rights Advocates and moved to Washington, DC federal court on 21 July, Lindt falsely assures consumers it’s trying to eliminate child labour from its supply chain and is committed to human rights.
The complaint also claims Lindt has known its cocoa is produced using child labour for more than 20 years.
“A reasonable consumer would not expect a company ‘committed to respecting human rights’ and ‘conducting business in an ethical, legal and environmentally and socially responsible manner’ to use widespread child labour in its cocoa supply chain,” the complaint states.
Lindt’s response
“Lindt & Sprüngli takes the issue of child labour very seriously and strongly condemns all forms of child labour and denies the allegations in the complaint,” said a Lindt & Sprüngli spokesperson. “We have supplier protocols in place, and we systematically investigate suspected cases of child labour in our supply chain.”
Lindt’s public sustainability commitments include its 2030 Sustainability Plan and the Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program, which it says help support cocoa-growing communities and address child labour risks in its supply chain.
It also published a ‘Modern Slavery Statement‘, which discusses its strategy to reduce the risks, including measures aimed at addressing child labour in cocoa sourcing through supplier monitoring, remediation programmes and certification initiatives.
What the lawsuit seeks
The lawsuit does not seek damages. Instead, it seeks to stop what the plaintiff alleges are misleading representations to consumers regarding Lindt’s human rights commitments and efforts to tackle child labour.
Lindt and International Rights Advocates have not yet responded to request for comment.
