Australian Catholic Religious Against Trafficking in Humans (ACRATH) are urging Australians to look a little deeper into their shopping baskets this Easter with their ‘ACRATH approved’ Easter campaign.
Many chocolate products, including those found in Australian shops, are made with cocoa beans harvested by child labourers, who are often enslaved and subjected to hazardous working conditions.
‘This Easter and beyond, we invite you to seek our “ACRATH approved” badge and make choices that matter by supporting companies committed to eliminating slavery from their supply chains,” says Lys Crowe, ACRATH’s interim executive officer.
ACRATH encourages everyone to explore the latest ‘Be Slavery Free Chocolate Scorecard’ and base their purchasing decisions on the company behaviours it outlines.
The Chocolate Scorecard—in its sixth edition this year—‘names and fames’ Tony’s Chocolonely, which takes home the ‘Good Egg Award’ in the 2025 rankings, and also identifies Ritter Sport, Nestlé and Mars Wrigley as leaders in sustainable practices.
The Chocolate Scorecard will help shoppers make smart purchases this Easter.
‘Chocolate can benefit people and the planet—if it is free from child labour and ensures living income for cocoa farmers, empowers women and protects the environment we all share,’ according to Be Slavery Free, a global coalition of organisations—including ACRATH—that coordinates the scorecard as part of its campaign against modern slavery.
Fuzz Kitto, a co-director at Be Slavery Free, points out that ‘Consumers are being asked to swallow record chocolate prices, and shrinking products. The least they expect is chocolate free from slavery. The Chocolate Scorecard will help shoppers make smart purchases this Easter.
‘Chocolate companies love to talk about policies and commitments, but 25 years since they promised to eliminate child labour from the supply chain, it’s time to stop “cocoa washing” and innovate more effective action.’
Each year, Be Slavery Free invites chocolate companies, traders, processors, manufacturers and retailers to report on their progress in seven social and environmental areas that have been identified as essential to a sustainable sector, allowing the chocolate production sector to explore what ‘good’ sustainability looks like.
‘Questions are specifically designed for companies to track their own progress,’ according to Be Slavery Free.
As well as consulting the scorecard and looking out for the ‘ACRATH approved badge’, ACRATH also recommends that chocolate consumers keep an eye out for the Fairtrade or Rainforest Alliance logos when shopping, as these also indicate a commitment to sourcing slavery-free cocoa.
Download the ACRATH Seal of Approval poster below.
Banner image: A cocoa farmer uses pruning shears to cut the cocoa pods from the cacao tree. (Photo by Narong Khueankaew via Shutterstock.)
