Chocolate has long been hailed as the “food of the gods” – a sweet, delectable indulgence that allows consumers to experience pure bliss. However, in 2000, True Vision Production shattered this notion with the release of “Slavery, A Global Investigation,” a documentary which exposed the disturbing amount of child slavery behind West Africa’s cocoa industry. Because of this newfound awareness, American consumers with an insatiable desire for chocolate face an ethical dilemma – is indulging in this irresistible confection of silky-smooth deliciousness worth a child’s life? To cope with consumer angst, many major confections companies, such as Nestlé, pledged to be more socially and environmentally conscious. Riding on the wave of ethical consumerism,
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Even though we do not seem to have much power, given how Nestlé’s Cocoa Plan has yet to make any substantive changes to the cocoa production chain, Nestlé’s recent shift to a bi-utility approach in advertising proves that consumers do have some influence in the economy. We need to channel that influence through social media and global activism to further prompt Nestlé to make more positive changes to its business practices instead of just posturing us with sophisticated marketing campaigns. As noted by marketing agency, Good.Must.Grow. LLC, “The only way to sustain the recent momentum around social enterprise and heightened [corporate responsibility and sustainability] efforts is for consumer demand to push it along.” We need to work together to push Nestlé toward more sustainable practices as the brand certainly has the financial backing and influence to address the issues within the cocoa production chain and find long-term solutions to them. In order to ensure a socially and environmentally sustainable economy beyond the cocoa industry, we must become more aware of the issues in our international community through education and
Even though we do not seem to have much power, given how Nestlé’s Cocoa Plan has yet to make any substantive changes to the cocoa production chain, Nestlé’s recent shift to a bi-utility approach in advertising proves that consumers do have some influence in the economy. We need to channel that influence through social media and global activism to further prompt Nestlé to make more positive changes to its business practices instead of just posturing us with sophisticated marketing campaigns. As noted by marketing agency, Good.Must.Grow. LLC, “The only way to sustain the recent momentum around social enterprise and heightened [corporate responsibility and sustainability] efforts is for consumer demand to push it along.” We need to work together to push Nestlé toward more sustainable practices as the brand certainly has the financial backing and influence to address the issues within the cocoa production chain and find long-term solutions to them. In order to ensure a socially and environmentally sustainable economy beyond the cocoa industry, we must become more aware of the issues in our international community through education and