Ferrero renews its participation in the CAOBISCO-ILO partnership in Turkey

As outlined in the Ferrero Hazelnut Charter, Ferrero is committed to joyful growth and child protection across its sourcing. In November 2020, Ferrero commenced a partnership with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to implement a 40-month project in Turkey to contribute to the elimination of the worst forms of child labour in seasonal agriculture in hazelnut harvesting. This builds on Ferrero’s active participation since 2013 in the CAOBISCO (the European Association of Chocolate, Biscuits and Confectionary Industries) and ILO partnership. As announced today, the CAOBISCO-ILO partnership in Turkey has been renewed and geographically extended. This is another important step towards fulfilling the commitments in our Charter.

Through the ILO-Ferrero partnership and its participation in the CAOBISCO-ILO partnership, as well as the activities of its sustainability programme, Ferrero Farming Values, Ferrero is engaged in child protection programmes covering all its hazelnut sourcing in Turkey.

For Ferrero, child protection means that we are determined to prevent and eliminate child labour all along our value chain, through a multi-stakeholder approach, with the conviction that every child should be protected, by experiencing joyful growth through a right to education and a safe environment. The CAOBISCO-ILO Public Private Partnership (PPP) brings together national, regional and local authorities, as well as private sector actors and civil society. The activities will continue in the provinces where programmes have taken place since 2013 and the new phase of the PPP will also include the provinces of Giresun and Samsun.

The presence of child labour has been documented in the agricultural sector in Turkey. These partnerships will bring the possibility of adapting the learnings to other crops, thereby helping to better identify the needs for sustainable action against child labour in seasonal agriculture in Turkey.

Learn more about the CAOBISCO-ILO PPP in our Sustainability report.