Lindt, the well-known Swiss chocolate company, is now facing a lawsuit in a U.S. federal court over claims that it deceives customers about the use of child labor in producing its cocoa ingredients.
The complaint, which was moved to federal court in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, alleges that Lindt makes false assurances to consumers about its efforts to eliminate child labor from its supply chain. According to the lawsuit, the company has been aware for more than 20 years that child labor is used to produce its cocoa, yet continues to profit from that practice.
The complaint stated: “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 labor in its cocoa supply chain.”
The lawsuit states that Lindt sources all of its consumer-grade cocoa beans from Ghana and obtains cocoa butter from Ivory Coast.
The case was brought by International Rights Advocates, a public interest law firm that has also pursued similar legal action against chocolate manufacturers Mars, Mondelez, and Nestle for allegedly relying on child labor.
Lindt responded to the allegations through a spokesperson, who said in an email: “Lindt & Sprungli takes the issue of child labor very seriously and strongly condemns all forms of child labor and denies the allegations in the complaint. We have supplier protocols in place, and we systematically investigate suspected cases of child labor in our supply chain.”
The company, headquartered in Kilchberg, Switzerland, maintains a 2030 Sustainability Plan on its website that outlines efforts to support cocoa farmers in West Africa and reduce risks associated with child labor. Lindt also publishes a “Modern Slavery Statement” detailing a “tailored strategy” to address those risks, including adherence to the Rainforest Alliance certification for farming practices.
The lawsuit is seeking to stop what it describes as Lindt’s “unlawful conduct directed at D.C. consumers” but does not ask for monetary damages.
Terry Collingsworth, executive director of International Rights Advocates, said in an email that his research “confirmed that Lindt, like the other major cocoa companies, has great paper policies and virtually no implementation, particularly on the child labor issue.”
The same law firm has also taken legal action against Apple, Cargill, and Starbucks over alleged forced labor in their respective supply chains.
