Andreas Lundmark
Managing Director & Partner
Boston Consulting Group
About Andreas
Blog post
Global Child Forum
PUBLISHED: JANUARY, 2023
The latest benchmark report from Global Child Forum examines the state of children’s rights in the Food, Beverage and Personal Care sector. We at BCG are proud to have contributed to this report, since 2014 we have screened and scored over 3,000 companies, creating the largest benchmark on companies’ implementation of children’s rights globally. The most recent benchmark scores reveal how well some of the world’s largest consumer brands perform in relation to their peers.
The influence of this 18 trillion-dollar sector on the lives of children is immense. From the products they produce and market, to the way companies operate can have an enormously positive effect on young people. But, as the report shows, this sector also continues to grapple with pressing issues such as child labor – especially in agricultural supply chains.
Children’s rights in the community and environment are also impacted by consumer brand’s operations from possible exposure to harmful chemicals, contamination or overuse of local water supplies, and products developed without proper nutrition and well-being in mind, undermine a child’s right to health.
3 central key takeaways from the most recent benchmark
So, after scoring 310 companies, who are the leaders of their industry?
Unfortunately, very few. Less than 10% of the companies can be considered “Leaders”, according to the performance structure of the benchmark which categorizes companies as either Beginners, Improvers, Leaders and Achievers. While there has been some positive movement among those companies benchmarked in our last global benchmark, there is much room for companies to harness market potential for people and profit.
Today, large investors are taking a child-inclusive investing approach and incorporating the benchmark data as a component of their investment strategy, driven by an investment conviction that an understanding of sustainability issues is essential to improving long-term financial outcomes. Increasingly, investors are using a company’s adherence to children’s rights issues as a proxy for a company’s overall resilience, excellence and leadership position, much like they look to issues around climate and the environment.
What does it take to be a corporate leader in children’s rights?
Global Child Forum has identified four main areas that characterize leading companies that strategically manage their impact on children:
Want to know who’s leading the pack within this sector? Click here for a full list of scores.
Managing Director & Partner
Boston Consulting Group
About Andreas