8%
Of the bottom 100 improved
Companies in the bottom 100 struggled to increase their benchmark score in 2023
Global Child Forum
Setbacks & Progress in the Collective
Global Benchmark Report 2023
How seriously is the corporate world taking children’s rights?
The companies in our benchmark are vast in scope and enormously varied in their operations. Each has its own commercial and cultural challenges, environmental footprints and community engagements. There is no single prescription for improvement, but by viewing them together we can ask how seriously the corporate world takes children’s rights.
Overall, the answer is disappointing
Since our last global report in 2021, the collective commitment to children’s well-being has declined. The average score for the full set of companies has dipped to 4.9 – down from 5.1 two years ago.
Of the 636 companies that appear in both our 2021 and 2023 reports, 367 companies returned worse scores this time around. Only 8% of the bottom 100 companies managed to improve their performance.
Setbacks & progress
The key numbers
4.9
Was the average company score
A drop from the average of 5.1 recorded in the 2021 Global Benchmark Report
75%
Of the top 100 improved
Three-quarters of companies in the top 100 bettered their performance versus 2021
Where can we expect improvement?
However, there are reasons to be hopeful. 245 companies, including all but one of the top 15 performers, improved their scores compared to two years ago. Indeed, 75% of the top 100 companies showed improvement. It seems clear that once a company reaches a certain level of maturity in its approach to children’s rights – when there is a framework in place to balance children’s well-being against short-term profits – improvement becomes the more likely outcome.
Top performers
The best-performing companies in this year’s report come from four sectors and ten countries. With a wide spread of average annual revenues, ranging from $10.7 billion to $133.6 billion, they include household names such as PepsiCo and Kellogg’s as well as less familiar names from the Agricultural and Oil & Gas industries.
While only 14% of the companies in our report are in the Food, Beverage & Personal Care sector, more than half of the top fifteen performers sell food products – as retailers, manufacturers or as suppliers of palm oil and other ingredients – that are consumed by children. These companies’ proximity to their young consumers no doubt intensifies the public focus on their impact, forcing them to adopt more explicit standards.
The top 15 companies are exceptionally strong in the Governance & Collaboration impact area, boasting a near-perfect average score of 9.9 across the five indicators.
Their expressed commitment to decent working conditions – for their own employees and along their supply chain – is also notable, with an average Workplace score of 9.5. The score for these companies’ impact of their product and marketing operations on children averages 7.1. While this is significantly higher than the score for the next fifteen companies, it is just shy of Leader status. What’s holding it back is a poor record on reporting non-compliance with commitments to children’s health and safety.
In the Community & Environment impact area, the top 15 companies perform well, with an average of 7.8. However, these Leaders are weak when it comes to disclosure of harm to children in communities, with an average score of 3. Even among the frontrunners, there is room for improvement.
Global Benchmark Report 2023
Take a look at the leaderboard
Which companies were the top performers in our Global Benchmark Report 2023? Here's the top 15!
To the Global Top 15Wilmar International maintains its lead
Singapore-based food processing company Wilmar International is again the best performer in our study. With maximum scores across all indicators, the company’s environmental and human rights commitments are child-specific and far-reaching.
As one of the world’s biggest producers of palm oil, Wilmar came under fire between 2007 and 2018 for its exploitative practices. In response, the company made public undertakings to address the issues with increased transparency and disclosure. The business introduced a sustainability dashboard to track progress towards its commitments and to increase traceability in its supply chain. Wage data – for all countries in which it operates – is also shared.
A transparent approach
Wilmar reports on social matters such as school attendance for children living in palm oil estates and publishes details of grievances against the company. Beyond reporting, Wilmar works with banks to link loans to sustainability goals.
This progress aligns with our finding in 2020 that there is a link between public controversies and higher scores. Evidently, uproar about a company’s practices acts as a driver of transparent behavioural shifts. In other words, the tools of activism, journalism and rigorous analysis are still sharp enough to effect change.
Discover more about Wilmar’s successful journey towards responsible sustainability management in this Global Child Forum case study.
By taking care of our workers and their families, and providing workers the ability to see that there are opportunities for their own children to be educated and to thrive, that creates stability. Then the investment we make is more than paid back.
Jeremy Goon
Chief Sustainability Officer, Wilmar International
Sector deep-dive
How did each sector perform in the Global Benchmark Report 2023?
Global Benchmark Report 2023
What makes a children’s rights leader?
Learn from the best: take inspiration from high scorers
Company Case
Company Case Studies
Global Child Forum’s case studies offer inspiration on how businesses can take action and incorporate child rights into their operations.
Company Case
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.
Company Case
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!
Company Case
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.
Company Case
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!
Company Case
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.
Company Case
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.
Company Case
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.
Company Case
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.
Company Case
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.
Company Case
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).
Company Case
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!
Company Case
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.
Company Case
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.
Company Case
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.
Company Case
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.
Company Case
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.
Together we can drive positive change
Tools & services to improve your business
The Workbook
Start here! Learn how to protect, support, and integrate children's rights throughout your value chain.
The Magnifier
Put your business in focus! Identify your children's rights knowledge gaps in as little as 10 minutes.
Business Academy
Become a leader! Learn from experts and peers as we guide you through a due diligence process.