About

The Global Business of Forced Labour project investigates the business of forced labour in global agricultural production, focusing on tea and cocoa supply chains feeding UK markets.  It addresses the following key questions:

What factors create business ‘demand’ for forced labour within global supply chains?

What kinds of businesses use forced labour and labour exploitation, and how do they make money from it?

How effective are corporate social responsibility initiatives (including ‘ethical’ certification) and anti-slavery laws in combating the business of forced labour?

What will it take to end the business of forced labour in global cocoa and tea supply chains?

The study has generated an original dataset through research with tea and cocoa workers in India and Ghana, and interviews with tea and cocoa plantation managers and buyers, large multinational beverage and confectionery companies, corporate social responsibility experts, international organizations, governments, and other actors. The findings provide new and important evidence for government, industry, and civil society actors on the causes of, and solutions to, forced labour in global commodity production.