Child Labor
Conduct Screen Labor Rights
Companies with documented use of child labor in direct operations or supply chains — including agricultural child labor, factory work by minors, and cobalt/mineral supply chains linked to child mining. Covers both direct employment and supply chain complicity where the company knew or should have known. Distinct from forced_labor (which covers coerced adult labor) and worker_exploitation (which covers wage theft).
5 companies currently excluded under this screen
Excluded Companies (5 total)
Showing 5 of 5 companies excluded under this screen.
| Ticker | Company | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| KO | Coca-Cola Company (The) | The Coca-Cola Company has faced persistent, documented allegations of child labor in its sugar supply chain for decades. In 2004, Human Rights Watch exposed that Coca-Cola’s sugar supplier in El Salvador used sugarcane harvested by children, a finding corroborated by film footage from 2007. Investigations by the company itself, including its "Review of Child Labour, Forced Labour and Land Rights," acknowledge the systemic risk, noting that child labor is rampant in sugarcane cultivation in key sourcing regions like El Salvador, where it forms an important part of production. While Coca-Cola has public policies prohibiting child labor and states that forced and child labor are not used in its business or supply chains, these declarations exist alongside ongoing evidence of the practice in its agricultural supply base. The company’s reliance on commodity sugarcane, a crop historically linked to hazardous child labor in multiple countries, creates an inherent and recurring exposure. Its commitments are thus juxtaposed with a supply chain reality where child labor violations have been repeatedly identified. |
| MCD | McDonald's Corporation | McDonald's has been cited for child labor violations across its franchise network in multiple states. In November 2023, a U.S. Department of Labor investigation found the operator of five Pittsburgh-area McDonald's locations employed 34 minors in violation of federal law. This followed a May 2023 case where three Kentucky franchisees paid $212,000 in fines for similar violations, and a December 2022 case where a franchisee in New Jersey illegally scheduled 14- and 15-year-olds for excessive hours and late shifts at 13 locations. Additional violations were documented in Louisiana and Texas in July 2023. While McDonald's corporate policy prohibits child labor in its supply chain and franchise operations, these repeated, independent investigations by the Wage and Hour Division demonstrate a systemic pattern of non-compliance within its business model. The company's reliance on a vast network of franchisees, who operate approximately 95% of its U.S. restaurants, creates recurring enforcement gaps where child labor laws are violated. |
| MDLZ | Mondelez International, Inc. | Mondelez International faces a class action lawsuit alleging its “Cocoa Life” sustainability program falsely markets cocoa sourcing as free from child labor. The complaint, filed in U.S. federal court in early 2024, accuses the company of deceptive labeling on its products, misleading consumers about the conditions in its supply chain. This legal action follows a 2023 investigation by Britain’s Channel 4, which documented child labor on farms in Ghana supplying cocoa for Mondelez. As one of the world’s largest snack companies, with brands like Cadbury and Oreo, Mondelez is a major buyer of cocoa. The lawsuit centers on the company’s own “Cocoa Life” marketing, which promises to “protect children” and source sustainably. The plaintiffs allege these representations are untrue, citing the documented presence of child labor in its supply chain as evidence the program is failing. |
| ADM | Archer-Daniels-Midland Company | ADM remains a primary defendant in ongoing litigation regarding its cocoa supply chain in West Africa (Cote d'Ivoire). International Rights Advocates litigation documents systemic child labor in cocoa harvesting linked to ADM supply chains. |
| RIVN | RIVIAN AUTOMOTIVE INC | Rivian's EV battery supply chain depends on cobalt and lithium sourced from artisanal mines in the DRC and Latin America, where child labor and forced labor are systematically documented by Amnesty International. |
The Naughty List
A digest of changes to our exclusion list — new additions, removals, and the evidence behind them. We review the list continuously as new evidence surfaces.
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