Today John P. Bilbrey spoke at K-State; he is the President of Hershey's, the largest chocolate manufacturer of chocolate in the US. The focus of the presentation was to awe us over the fact that he has gained $billions in revenue for the company since he became president in 2003 (31% dividends to shareholders in last years bad economy, not bad).
After the presentation, students had an opportunity to ask him questions. One of the questions was, "what are you doing to end child labor" and "what are you doing to help the African people." The second question was asked by an African about an issue obviously close to his heart.
Let's examine what Mr. Bilbrey really said:
The first part of his answer was "it's complex." Is this a valid argument? Yes, most definitely, not all child labor is slave labor. Unfortunately, he was using it as an excuse for the company to sit on their hands and act as though children enslaved on cocoa farms do not harvest cocoa for Hershey's - they do.
Secondly, "all the FairTrade cocoa that is available, we'll use it" is simply not true. Firms are notorious for rejecting FairTrade cocoa because it doesn't measure up to their high standards. Once again, FairTrade needs to work with companies more closely in this regard (Starbucks coffee is a great example).
Third, he said that they are "very, very dedicated" to end child labor. Which explains why they spent $125 million on a high school in Pennsyvania last year, and will spend $2 million, or 0.08%
of total profits, to end child slavery. By the way - he did use the word "very" twice. At least it is a step in the right direction. They spent $0 the last 11 decades.
Fourth, he claimed to be a "man of faith" and while he was implying faith in God, I'm glad he didn't qualify it. What does God have to say about all this, anyways? "Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God." (Proverbs 14:31).
This all begs the question, can our generation step up to the plate with a strong stance on moral issues like this one? Can we tell the next generation that child labor is a thing of the past because we had a perspective that went past profit? I certainly hope so.
ugh. I was hoping for something more encouraging from this visit. Maybe you should get a job at Hershey? Changing small things there would really make an impact. Such a small sacrifice on Hershey's part could change so many lives. Of course, I guess that's kinda how all of our giving is.... it's hard not to point fingers though.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting to hear his statements contrasted with the fiscal actions of his company. Nice work, Greg.
ReplyDelete-Ben