MARKETPLACE - Reporting & Actions

3.3.1 Reporting & Actions:
Marketing & Advertising

Does the company report on either positive impact on children or incidents of non-compliance with  their marketing or labelling commitments or formal regulations?

Scoring options

  • 10 = Yes, the company reports on either positive impact on children or incidents of non-compliance with their marketing or labelling commitments or formal regulations (even when they are not direct consumers/target audience).
  • 5 = The company reports on incidents of non-compliance with their commitment or regulations on marketing communications, but it does not differentiate between children and adult consumers.
  • 0 = No, the company does not report on incidents of non-compliance with regulations or voluntary codes on marketing communications, or these reports are not publicly available.

Why is this important?

This indicator follows up on indicator 3.1.1 “Is the company committed to responsible marketing and labelling to children?”. A company shows commitment to responsible marketing in relation to children by transparently disclosing information on the company’s performance. If, for example, there is a policy on responsible marketing, it is important to also show what the outcomes/impact of this policy have been.

About the scoring

A score of 10 is given if the company has a publicly available statement on:

  • The number of incidences of non-compliance in regard to formal legal or regulated requirements related to marketing, advertising and labelling of products and services
  • The number of incidences of non-compliance regarding voluntary commitments to industry marketing codes or regulations
  • The number of incidences of non-compliance with internal policies or commitments which address marketing, advertising and labelling activities

To receive a score of 10, the information needs to relate to children as a specific group and be clearly disclosed.

A score of 5 is given if the company reports on incidences of non-compliance with their commitment to responsible marketing, or regulations on marketing communication, but incidences involving children are not specifically reported on.

N.B. reporting of no cases or full compliance also receives a score of 5 or 10, depending on whether there is a reference to children in the policy or commitment that the reporting refers to (see 3.1.1).

Indicator reference

Children’s Rights and Business Principles:

  • All business should meet their responsibility to respect children’s rights and commit to supporting the human rights of children (Principle 1)
  • All business should use marketing and advertising that respect and support children’s rights (Principle 6)

The GRI standards:

  • Reference 417-2 or 417-3

Methodology

Corporate Sector & Children’s Rights
Benchmark Series

To methodology overview