Article Text:
In a significant move, New York City's comptroller is applying pressure on leading sugar buyers, including Coca-Cola, Pepsico, and Mondelez, demanding they end their reliance on sugar sourced from Maharashtra, India, where labor abuses are rampant. Recent investigations have exposed alarming conditions in the state's sugar cane fields, where workers endure child labor, debt bondage, and even coerced medical procedures.
Comptroller Brad Lander, who manages substantial pension investments, emphasizes the need for these corporations to collaborate with local labor groups, addressing human rights issues in their supply chains. Not only is Lander rallying with various institutional investors who hold sizable shares in these companies, but he is also setting a precedent for ethical investment practices.
In support, the Biden administration has been encouraging U.S. companies to leverage their purchasing power to incentivize better labor conditions, working closely with labor unions to effect change. The joint efforts from investors and government officials aim to improve the situation on the ground for sugar cane harvesters living under deplorable conditions.
In a significant move, New York City's comptroller is applying pressure on leading sugar buyers, including Coca-Cola, Pepsico, and Mondelez, demanding they end their reliance on sugar sourced from Maharashtra, India, where labor abuses are rampant. Recent investigations have exposed alarming conditions in the state's sugar cane fields, where workers endure child labor, debt bondage, and even coerced medical procedures.
Comptroller Brad Lander, who manages substantial pension investments, emphasizes the need for these corporations to collaborate with local labor groups, addressing human rights issues in their supply chains. Not only is Lander rallying with various institutional investors who hold sizable shares in these companies, but he is also setting a precedent for ethical investment practices.
In support, the Biden administration has been encouraging U.S. companies to leverage their purchasing power to incentivize better labor conditions, working closely with labor unions to effect change. The joint efforts from investors and government officials aim to improve the situation on the ground for sugar cane harvesters living under deplorable conditions.
