The research center, DanWatch, who investigated Nestle and Jacobs Douwe Egberts, found that the coffee company did not know all of the plantation names they're cultivating the beans from. Admitting to purchase the source from middlemen, both firms may be obtaining coffee beans from blacklisted plantations.
The Guardian reported that since those two largest coffee makers in the world failed to name their suppliers, there might be chances of purchasing the beans from slave-labor farming. Together, the firms have a huge global coffee market up to 39 percent in the world.
Brazil is one of the biggest coffee suppliers are known for its serious problem, the forced labor endemic. Although Nestle's policy states that they remove the practice in sourcing the ingredients, the fact that these violations occur may not be acknowledged by them. DanWatch also reported Nestle's claim to purchase the coffee from authorized plantations where the workers are not in forced conditions. However, as the companies can't ensure the slavery work behind the complicated supply chain, from exporters to middlemen, it could lead to blacklisted plantations.
Investigated for seven months by the DanWatch research center, the interview subjects included experts, farmers, and Brazilian officials. Quoting a statement in The Guardian, Nestle stated, "We do not tolerate violations of labor rights and have strongly maintained that forced labor has no place in our supply chain."
Unfortunately, the forced labor practice is inevitable and both, Nestle and Jacobs Douwe Egberts, promised to cooperate with organizations and the authorities to make improvements in this supply chain.
Nestle carries several global coffee brands include Nescafe, Nespresso, Coffee-Mate, and Dolce Gusto. The company is sourcing coffee beans from various plantations including Brazil's. The country has been dealing with this serious issue since 1995, where Brazil Labor Ministry has worked with companies, prosecutors and sites to identify signs of slavery work.
