Child labor has been found in the jasmine supply chains of two well-known luxury perfume companies, Lancôme and Aerin Beauty, according to a BBC investigation. According to the inquiry, minors are harvesting jasmine blooms in Egypt, the country that produces around half of the jasmine used worldwide.
Even though L’Oréal and Estée Lauder, their parent firms, have said that they would tolerate no child labor, the research found structural problems with their supply chain auditing procedures. Undercover video and interviews with local pickers corroborated these conclusions, which show that families are compelled by financial constraints to send their kids jasmine harvesting in order to satisfy industrial giants’ low pay expectations.
The inquiry highlights a substantial discrepancy between the promises premium firms make on ethical sourcing and the actual situation. Industry insiders contend that low pay and unfavorable working conditions for jasmine pickers are the result of pressure to cut costs at the top of the supply chain.
Fragrance houses have made efforts and pledges to uphold international human rights norms, but insufficient supervision and faulty auditing procedures mean that the issue still exists. According to the BBC, in order to safeguard vulnerable people in the supply chain, the situation necessitates increased corporate accountability and systemic improvements.
The International Federation of Essential Oils and Aroma Trades estimates that Egypt’s profitable jasmine sector will bring in 6.5 million dollars in 2020 and employ about 50,000 people. In 2023, the BBC projects that this will equate to over 30,000 workers. According to Ahram Online, a sizable portion of the nation’s workforce is underage, with estimates indicating that some 1,000 kids labor in Egypt’s Gharbiya area, which is the hub of the nation’s jasmine production.
