Dear Kaset Thai International Sugar,
As you know, The Coca-Cola Company is committed to upholding fundamental principles of international human and workplace rights everywhere we do business and seek to develop relationships with suppliers through-out the supply chain that share similar values. The Company routinely utilizes independent third parties to evaluate compliance with our Supplier Guiding Principles. As part of this work we will be conducting a diagnosis and base line analysis of the risks of child or forced labor in the sugarcane sector in Thailand at the beginning of the harvest 2013-2014. We are seeking your support for this important work.
The International Labor Organization (ILO) estimates that there are 215 million children and adolescents working globally, 53% of whom are exposed to hazardous work. Each year the United States Department of Labor publishes a list of goods and their source countries which it has reason to believe are produced by child labor or forced labor in violation of international standards. Sugarcane from Thailand is included in this list. More information is available at: http://www.dol.gov/ilab/reports/child-labor/list-of-goods/
This base study will be focused on identifying the magnitude of child or forced labor in our agricultural supply chain, root causes that lead to such practices and any action taken to reduce these practices. The Company has contracted the external monitoring firm Arch Achiever to complete the base study.
The project will include three components:
• Desk research
• Mapping and connection with stakeholders
• On site visit to mills and farms of agricultural suppliers.
Upon project completion, the overall results will be properly shared with our authorized sugar mills and the relevant industrial associations to determine any required actions to address the issues. Please note that the information gathered during this project does not affect the outcome of Supplier Guiding Principles audits. In addition, this information will be maintained with strict confidentiality.
The Coca-Cola Company is financing the work; however, we require your collaboration through access to information, and to your facilities and agricultural suppliers. A representative of the Arch Achiever will be contacting you soon to coordinate the work.
We look forward to working with you on this important topic. If you have questions, please feel free to contact me directly.
Sincerely,
Brian Chan
Human & Workplace Rights Director
The Coca-Cola Company