London Human Rights Group Pursues Perfumers Over Alleged Child Labor Claims
London-headquartered Business & Human Rights Resource Centre says only four of 10 global perfumers so far have responded to its queries about whether the companies used jasmine sourced from the Al-Gharbia region in Egypt in making their fragrances. The jasmine was allegedly produced using child labor, according to a May 2024 BBC documentary.
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Given the opaque nature of the supply chain of jasmine and reported budget constraints that the companies may impose upon fragrance houses, according to the BBC documentary, the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre contacted the 10 global conglomerates mentioned in the documentary and asked them for further disclosures about their supply chains. The questions centered on companies’ purchasing practices and due diligence measures to mitigate labor rights issues. The questions also sought to address how the companies are investigating and remediating allegations of child labor and how the companies are ensuring that the workers picking jasmine receive fair prices and a decent wage.
Out of the 10 companies, the four that have responded so far, according to the group, are: Interparfums, Designer Parfums, Estee Lauder and L'Oreal. The Business & Human Rights Resource Centre published the companies’ responses July 19.
Not responding are Revlon, Parlux, Coty, LVMH-Louis Vuitton, Shiseido and Puig. International Trade Today contacted these companies for comment but has yet to receive responses.
In their responses, Estee Lauder and L'Oreal acknowledged that they source jasmine from Egypt, and said they are also taking measures to ensure their supply chains are free from child labor or forced labor.
“The Estee Lauder Companies does business with the three fragrance houses named in the documentary; however, we do not directly source fragrance ingredients, including Egyptian jasmine,” it said in its response to the human rights center. “We are engaging actively with our suppliers to investigate this very serious matter, and working on a path forward that improves living conditions in the sourcing communities in Egypt. We are committed to improving transparency and traceability in the supply chain, and to taking action on the ground through a robust engagement strategy that is community-centric.”
Estee Lauder also said it's a founding member of Harvesting the Future, a global coalition of suppliers, industry peers, community members and nonprofits seeking to improve Egyptian jasmine sourcing and traceability. The coalition also will encourage more frequent and ongoing third-party assessments and monitoring within this part of the supply chain, Estee Lauder continued.
L’Oreal also said it is working with nongovernment organizations, jasmine processors and the Egyptian government to ensure child labor doesn’t occur on its supply chains for jasmine.
“Since these potential issues first surfaced in Egypt, we have worked to put concrete actions in place ahead of the next jasmine harvest in June, in order to eliminate child labour whilst protecting the livelihood of the families who depend on jasmine picking,” L’Oreal said.
The company said the majority of jasmine farms that are used for its sourcing are within a different region of Egypt.
“L’Oreal is also committed to buying jasmine in Egypt only from controlled farms belonging to responsible jasmine processors -- whilst continuing to provide support to smallholders that we don’t buy from, through our sectorial partnership with the Fair Labor Association, the International Labour Organization, the Egyptian government and other local partners,” it said.