Why is this important?

A company has great potential to have a positive impact on children’s rights by conducting their own actions or campaigns/initiatives in relation to either their marketing and the opportunities that lie within this type of communication; or in relation to the safety of the product/service as well as how it might support children.

About the scoring

A score of 10 is given if the company has a publicly described action or initiative showing that they are working actively to enhance product safety or responsible marketing with the purpose of advancing children’s rights in the marketplace. These initiatives can be designed in relation to the industry within which the company operates, or they can be of a more generic nature, e.g.:

• Preventing or eliminating the risk that products or services might be used to abuse, exploit or otherwise harm children
• Product development and design that seek to support children’s development or specific needs
• Reinforcing positive imagery to support self-esteem and mental health through marketing or through product development
• Highlighting inclusion and diversity through marketing or product development
• Taking steps to provide a safe online environment or support children’s online access
• Food & Beverage taking steps to improve product formulation or nutritional profile, for example in relation to salt, sugar, fat and ultra-processed food, to support children’s health and wellbeing
• Personal care and household products, taking steps to improve products used by children taking their specific needs into account, or limiting or excluding dangerous chemicals from household products (e.g. cleaning, washing) that children could come into contact with
• Hotels/transport taking measures against child sexual exploitation
• Real estate sector considering children’s needs when planning and executing projects and in evictions
• Banks providing financial education to children
• Producers of products that are harmful (or illegal) for children to consume taking steps to protect children from such products
• Transportation and automobile producers taking interior (e.g. airbags) and exterior (e.g. pedestrian airbags) safety measures to increase the safety of all users, taking special precautions with regard to children’s specific needs and vulnerabilities

Note that actions/programmes/initiatives that are not directly connected to the product or service and has a wider reach than the company’s consumers, are not scored here, but instead under 4.3.3.

A score of 5 is given if the company is involved in such initiatives or actions, but they are not explicitly focused on children.

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 ensure that products and services are safe, and seek to support children’s rights through them (Principle 5)
• All business should use marketing and advertising that respect and support children’s rights (Principle 6)

OECD MNE Guidelines:

• Part 1, Chapter 8, p. 43

ESRS Indicators: MDR-A, S4-4