Quang Thien Imex (QTI) a supplier of agricultural products specializing in cocoa, coffee and cashew nuts, has joined the International Cocoa Initiative (ICI) as a contributing partner, as part of its efforts to tackle child labour in the cocoa supply chain.

The company, established in Côte d’Ivoire in 2009, has been working for a number of years on the overall sustainability of its supply chain but has identified child labour as a particular challenge requiring significant efforts.

“We have seen, through ongoing efforts to improve overall sustainability in our supply chain, that child labour is a particularly pressing problem in the cocoa sector. As a company we are dedicated to tackling this challenge and we are happy to be able to partner with ICI to make this happen,” said Mr Bobby Quang Thien VO, Director General of QTI.

The company is interested in using ICI’s tools to tackle child labour, for example the Child Labour Monitoring and Remediation System, explained QTI’s Director for Sustainability, Guillaume Esmel, highlighting its overall objective to improve the quality of life and reduce poverty of the cocoa farmers in its supply chain.

QTI is the latest company to join ICI as the organization seeks to drive the scale up of effective and sustainable approaches that prevent and address child labour and forced labour, as laid out in ICI’s 2021-2026 strategy.

“We are really excited to count QTI as a new member of ICI. Their commitment to supporting cocoa farmers and tackling child labour will help us and the broader ICI community to reach our collective targets,” explained Nick Weatherill ICI’s Executive Director.

“With our new five-year strategy we are aiming to drive sector-wide change, and see all children at risk receiving the support and protection they require. Working with new partners who share our vision and are committed to playing their part in driving change will be crucial to achieving these objectives. We look forward to working with QTI over the coming years.”