L’Oreal has issued a statement in response to the BBC documentary Perfume’s Dark Secret, which revealed disturbing footage of children working in Egyptian flower fields. The jasmine harvested in these fields was traced up the supply chain to two luxury perfume brands, including L’Oreal’s Lancome.
The French beauty conglomerate asserted that it “always acts immediately” upon identifying issues within its supply chain. L’Oreal disclosed that its ongoing monitoring process had already identified potential human rights concerns in Egypt as early as October last year, prior to being contacted by the BBC. In response, L’Oreal has implemented concrete measures in anticipation of the next jasmine harvest.
In their statement, L’Oreal elaborated, “To drive systemic change in support of local communities and to eliminate child labor while protecting the livelihood of families dependent on jasmine picking, we have been instrumental in establishing a coalition. This coalition, formed in partnership with the Egyptian government, fragrance houses, and other industry partners, is spearheaded by the Fair Labor Association and the International Labour Organization under their ‘Harvesting the Future – Jasmine in Egypt’ project.”
The company expressed its dismay that the BBC did not include details of these proactive measures, which had been initiated before the broadcaster reached out. “We are very disappointed that the BBC chose not to include our concrete actions in Egypt, which we had already started to implement before they first contacted us and which we have actively shared with them in detail,” L’Oreal stated.
L’Oreal’s involvement in the coalition aims to address the root causes of child labor while ensuring the economic stability of local families reliant on jasmine cultivation. Through this collaborative effort, L’Oreal hopes to foster sustainable and ethical practices within the industry.
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