Global Child Forum
Global Benchmark Report 2023
The region’s companies scored higher than the global average in 2023, bucking the trend of other regions’ declining performances.
With new EU legislation on corporate sustainability reporting on the way in 2024, Global Child Forum expects to see a further strengthening of the leading position of European companies in the coming years.
Find out more below!
Accessibility note: A text-based version of our video, Global Benchmark Report 2023: How did Europe Perform? (suitable for screen-reading software), is available here.
Global Benchmark Report 2023: European region performance
Of the top 15 companies on our global leaderboard, seven are European, led by Switzerland-based foods giant Nestlé.
“I’m encouraged to see that companies in our region have attached such high importance to children’s rights. This is a step in the right direction that goes beyond legislation, highlighting the importance of clear communication and alignment of goals when it comes to protecting a vulnerable group in our society,” says Emilio Puccio, Secretary General of the European Parliament Intergroup on Children’s Rights.
European companies are the best performers in five of our eight benchmarked sectors – Business To Business (B2B), Basic Materials, Consumer Discretionary, Energy & Utilities and Healthcare – and second place in the remaining three.
Global Benchmark Report 2023
Which European companies performed the best in our Global Benchmark Report 2023? Here's the top 15!
To the European Top 15Over 13% of European companies are Leaders – with average scores over 7.5 – compared to 6% in both North America and Asia & Pacific. Europe also has the smallest share of Beginners, with just 1.4% of businesses in the report categorised as being at the start of their journey on integrating children’s rights into their operations. This compares to 9% in North America and 19.4% in Asia & Pacific.
In 2024, the region’s approach to sustainability reporting will be transformed. Prompted by a wealth of evidence – backed up by the findings in this benchmark report – that companies’ current disclosures are often incomplete and inconsistent, the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) requires businesses to adopt common standards in their environmental, social and governance reporting.
The new standards – which, like Global Child Forum’s own guidelines, follow the framework of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights – will compel more than 50,000 companies in the region to provide high-quality, comparable sustainability information. Non-European companies which have significant operations on the continent are also likely to be impacted.
As such, the changes could mark a global pivot towards transparency. But for many companies, the new requirements will come as a shock.
CSRD will have a significant impact on the range and depth of companies’ environmental, social and governance reporting. In the medium and long term, common standards will reduce reporting costs – but companies must be ready to provide more data and more materiality assessment on more subjects.
Emilio Puccio
Secretary General of the European Parliament Intergroup on Children's Rights
How did each sector perform in the Global Benchmark Report 2023?
Global Benchmark Report 2023
Company Case Studies
Global Child Forum’s case studies offer inspiration on how businesses can take action and incorporate child rights into their operations.
Arcor: supporting and protecting children throughout the whole business
Arcor Group incorporates children's rights into the broader framework of working toward sustainable development, with strategies supported and integrated throughout the entire organisation.
Suntory: Giving back to society
How does Suntory, one of Japan’s largest beverage companies, realise its sustainability vision and incorporate children’s rights? Take a look!
Unilever: Raising the bar for responsible marketing and product development
Unilever was one of the first companies to introduce and apply principles for responsible marketing to children back in 2003. These principles have been updated over the years and continue to evolve to address new concerns as they arise.
PepsiCo: A systematic approach to marketing and product development
How does American multinational food, snack, and beverage corporation, PepsiCo, incorporate policies to commit to responsible marketing to children? Take a look!
Due diligence and beyond: How Nestlé manages human rights risks in the supply chain
For Nestlé, a global company that sources products from the agricultural sector, addressing human rights risks in the supply chain is both a basic requirement and not always an easy task.
The Hershey Company: “Children’s wellbeing is at the heart of who we are.”
Read about The Hershey Company’s approach to sustainability, and its efforts to better monitor, address, and eradicate child labour from supply chain operations.
Verizon: A holistic approach to assessing impacts on child rights
Verizon explains its approach to child rights and safety, at a time when the external landscape for these issues is evolving.
Microsoft: Technology to respect and promote child rights in the age of COVID-19
Read about how global technology company Microsoft seeks to support children’s access to education and information while ensuring their safety online.
Safaricom: Driving a shared value approach through the Sustainable Development Goals
Communications and technology provider, Safaricom, places the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the centre of its business.
Bayer: Mitigating root causes of child labour
Learn about Bayer’s advancements in the area of child labour mitigation, through the implementation of its Child Care Programme (CCP).
Vodafone: Demonstrating an end-to-end commitment to children’s rights
Vodafone is working actively to strengthen children’s rights across its business - find out how in our case study!
Samsung: Supporting working parents and caregivers through strong family-friendly policies
Samsung has implemented a range of family-friendly policies promoting employee wellbeing and work-life balance, to support children’s rights.
Wilmar’s Path Towards Responsible Sustainability Management
A study showcasing Wilmar’s path towards a more sustainable business, and how to integrate a child rights perspective.
Norsk Hydro Brazil’s journey towards social responsibility
This case study on Norsk Hydro Brazil and social responsibility shows how the company addresses children’s rights and related issues in its operations.
AstraZeneca: Investing in the health of adolescents
This case study on AstraZeneca demonstrates the company’s focus on global community investment in support of children’s rights.
Standard Chartered: Empowering girls to be agents of change
Standard Chartered banking group implemented its Goal programme to support girls in taking on leadership roles in their communities.
Tools & services to improve your business
Start here! Learn how to protect, support, and integrate children's rights throughout your value chain.
Put your business in focus! Identify your children's rights knowledge gaps in as little as 10 minutes.
Become a leader! Learn from experts and peers as we guide you through a due diligence process.