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Social Life Cycle Assessment of Cocoa Production: Evidence from Ivory Coast and Ghana

Author

Listed:
  • Giuliana Vinci

    (Department of Management, Sapienza University of Rome, Via del Castro Laurenziano 9, 00161 Rome, Italy)

  • Marco Ruggeri

    (Department of Management, Sapienza University of Rome, Via del Castro Laurenziano 9, 00161 Rome, Italy)

  • Laura Gobbi

    (Department of Management, Sapienza University of Rome, Via del Castro Laurenziano 9, 00161 Rome, Italy)

  • Marco Savastano

    (Department of Management, Sapienza University of Rome, Via del Castro Laurenziano 9, 00161 Rome, Italy)

Abstract

Cocoa is a natural resource that plays a very important role globally, being one of the most produced and traded commodities. As a labour-intensive product and considering that its cultivation involves about 50 million people globally, it seems significant to explore its social sustainability. In light of this, this research aimed to map social risks within the cocoa supply chain from a life cycle perspective. Therefore, the Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA) was used, following the PSILCA database, considering the two most influential countries in its production, i.e., Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana. The results showed that there could be a very high risk that more than half of the cocoa globally is produced through child labour and with wages too low to guarantee workers a decent living, returning incomes of $30–38/month. Forced labour is much less frequent than child labour, while cocoa from Ghana may induce a high risk of improper work, considering the 30.2 h per week worked by farmers. This is mainly due to the low association power of 10–16%, which reveals a high risk that workers may not organise themselves into trade unions. Finally, at 23–25%, there is also a very high risk of discrimination due to the high presence of migrant labour. Therefore, the S-LCA results showed that the cocoa industry is still characterised by socially unsustainable sourcing.

Suggested Citation

  • Giuliana Vinci & Marco Ruggeri & Laura Gobbi & Marco Savastano, 2024. "Social Life Cycle Assessment of Cocoa Production: Evidence from Ivory Coast and Ghana," Resources, MDPI, vol. 13(10), pages 1-20, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jresou:v:13:y:2024:i:10:p:141-:d:1496873
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Catherine Bros & Alain Desdoigts & Hugues Kouadio, 2019. "Land Tenure Insecurity as an Investment Incentive: The Case of Migrant Cocoa Farmers and Settlers in Ivory Coast," Journal of African Economies, Centre for the Study of African Economies, vol. 28(2), pages 147-175.
    2. Asamoah, P.K.B. & Adubofour, S.B. & Obodai, J. & Agyemang, F.O., 2018. "The Use Of Children In Cocoa Production In Sekyere South District In Ashanti Region, Ghana: Is This Child Labour Or An Apprenticeship Training?," International Journal of Agricultural Research, Innovation and Technology (IJARIT), IJARIT Research Foundation, vol. 8(1), June.
    3. Barrientos,Stephanie, 2019. "Gender and Work in Global Value Chains," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9781108492317.
    4. Stephanie BARRIENTOS & Lara BIANCHI & Cindy BERMAN, 2019. "Gender and governance of global value chains: Promoting the rights of women workers," International Labour Review, International Labour Organization, vol. 158(4), pages 729-752, December.
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