The Hershey Company has announced a target to train all its buyers on human rights issues by 2021.
In the company’s sustainability report for 2019 it said it was integrating human rights into supply chain due diligence, including the launch of a Responsible Sourcing Tier One Supplier programme and a goal of enrolling 100% of high-risk suppliers by 2021.
The report said child labour, forced labour, deforestation, women’s rights, and living wage were among the “most pressing human rights issues across our value chain”.
Hershey said it launched its first enterprise-wide human rights policy in 2019, including an e-learning module. “This training is mandatory for all global procurement professionals across Hershey and is strongly encouraged for leaders in functions like manufacturing, legal and human resources, as well as certain commercial functions.”
The report added: “Guided by an approach that identifies, assesses and prioritises the most significant human rights risks in our value chain, we use our direct business relationships and leverage to enable all to exercise and enjoy their fundamental human rights.”
Hershey said it operated a Supplier Diversity Roundtable with representatives from each procurement area. “Additionally, our procurement contracts request that our suppliers utilise diverse suppliers and report their diverse spend attributable to Hershey.”
To ensure compliance the company said each quarter it tracked the internal reporting of diverse spend of tier one and two suppliers. It said it would be launching a new Supplier Diversity Strategy in 2020.
Hershey said at the beginning of 2020 it achieved a target, set in 2012, to source 100% certified and sustainable cocoa. The report said in 2018 it launched its Cocoa For Good programme to address social and environmental issues. The initiative is backed by a commitment to invest $500m by 2030. Hershey said in 2019 21% of global cocoa needs were sourced from specific farmer groups involved in Cocoa For Good.
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