{"id":12519,"date":"2024-11-13T09:44:44","date_gmt":"2024-11-13T09:44:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/follow-the-things.onyx-sites.io\/?p=12519"},"modified":"2026-03-27T14:58:44","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T14:58:44","slug":"fazer-blue-chocolate-cocoa-school-campaign","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/followthethings.com\/?p=12519","title":{"rendered":"Fazer ‘Blue’ Chocolate Cocoa School Campaign"},"content":{"rendered":"
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followthethings.com<\/strong>
Grocery<\/a>
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2012<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
FAZER<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
CHOCOLATE<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
GROWN IN THE IVORY COAST<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
SOLD IN FINLAND<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
NEWSPAPER ADVERT<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
DISTRACT FROM REALITY<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
WASH IT WITH WOKENESS<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
INVOLVE CONSUMERS<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
INCLUDE SUFFERING KIDS<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
HOLD ‘EM ACCOUNTABLE<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
JOIN THE DOTS<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
BLAME, SHAME & GUILT<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
ENCOURAGE A BOYCOTT<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

“Fazer ‘Blue’ Chocolate Cocoa School Campaign<\/strong>“
A corporate charity fundraising campaign by Fazer.
Campaign advert in Helsingin Sanomat<\/em> above.

Finland’s favourite chocolate company Fazer takes out a full front page ad in a leading daily newspaper. They promise to give 5 cents from every bar of Fazer Blue to a school building project in the Ivory Coast. This is where the company’s cocoa beans are grown by child slaves. Do these children need a school or something more from Fazer?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Page reference: Eeva Kemppainen (2024) Fazer ‘Blue’ Chocolate Cocoa School Campaign.<\/em> followthethings.com\/fazer-blue-chocolate-cocoa-school-campaign.shtml (last accessed <insert date here>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Page also available in Finnish here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Estimated reading time: 33 minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

67 comments<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Descriptions<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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In West Africa states of Ivory Coast and Ghana, 1,8 million 5-17-year-old children are working in cocoa plantations, according to information gathered by the American University of Tulane, commissioned by the United States Department of Labor. … 40 percent of the 820 000 children working in Ivory Coast don\u2019t go to school. Only five percent of the Ivorian children get a salary for their work. The responsibility in cocoa production emerged in a public debate in Finland when the confectionary producer Fazer announced its plans to build a school in Ivory Coast (Source: Anon 2012a, np link<\/a>).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The company advertised in their webpage and on the front page of [Finland’s leading daily newspaper] Helsingin Sanomat,<\/em> amongst others, to use 5 cents from every Fazer \u201cBlue\u201d 200 grams milk chocolate bar sold during August for building a school in their sponsor village Bi\u00e9by [in the Ivory Coast] (Source: Hujanen 2012, np link<\/a>).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The campaign was organised in all countries where Fazer operates [Finland, Sweden, Russia, Estonia, Norway, Denmark, Latvia and Lithuania] (Source: Anon 2012a, es link<\/a>).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The building construction of the school begins in the autumn 2012 and the aim is that the school starts operating in the autumn 2013. There will also be a small cocoa plantation next to the school where the students will be taught about sustainable cocoa agriculture and right ways of taking care of trees (Source: Anon 2012b, np link<\/a>).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

+4 comments<\/summary>\n
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On 5 August Fazer\u2019s ad comprised the whole front page of Helsingin Sanomat<\/em>. The ad said in golden letters: “the recipe for the good: build a future for the children\u201d. In the ad Fazer piously announced to build a school in the \u201cAfrican sponsor village Bi\u00e9by\u201d. A school to Africa, what could be lovelier. … A whole front page ad in Sunday Helsingin Sanomat<\/em> costs 50 579 euros. According to Church Aid one can build a reasonable school in Africa for 70 000 euros. So if Fazer had spent the 50 759 euros for building a school instead of an ad it would\u2019ve almost been built already. But building a school wasn\u2019t the main purpose in this campaign, was it (Source: Kaarenoja 2012, np link<\/a>).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Finnish chocolate is suffering with sugar coating. Yle [public broadcasting media], amongst others, has reported how Finnish chocolate is being produced with child labour. The affordability of the chocolate produced in West Africa is based on underpaid labour and child labour which is at its worst connected to human trafficking. Finnwatch tells of about 100 000 sold children. According to estimates there are up to one million child labourers working in West African cocoa business. Depending on the source, the state of cocoa business is presented in very different tones. [For example,] On Fazer\u2019s webpage you can go for a cocoa trip where you can meet smiling small farmers (Source: Paakkinen 2012, np link<\/a>).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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In the beginning of September [Vappu Kaarenoja] the head editor of [Helsinki student newspaper] Ylioppilaslehti<\/em> and after that, among others, columnists in Helsingin Sanomat <\/em>and Voima<\/em>-magazine criticised Fazer\u2019s advertisement campaign (Source: Kantola 2012, np link<\/a>).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Maybe this [Helsingin Sanomat<\/em>] column will urge Fazer to act even more efficiently for a more equitable production of chocolate. There is hope because Fazer is the most beloved brand for Finns and globally the brightest star of our country (Source: albiceleste 2012, np link<\/a>).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Inspiration \/ Technique \/ Process \/ Methodology<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The Fazer Blue charity campaign has aroused a lot of discussion, both for and against. I want briefly to tell about Fazer\u2019s work with responsible sourcing of cocoa – the topic is important to us since cocoa is one of our central ingredients. Our starting point is that the responsibility is systematic and runs through the whole delivery chain. It is important to us that all the criteria for responsibility get fulfilled – obeying the law and paying taxes are just some of the criteria. … We are increasing the amount of sustainably produced cocoa in our purchasing all the time. Fazer has been a member of the World Cocoa Foundation since 2005 and we collaborate with international cocoa and chocolate organisations. Besides developing the traceability, fulfilling the criteria for responsibility, visits and international co-operation, we have our own sponsor village in Ivory Coast, Bi\u00e9by. In the campaign carried out in August we we\u2019re raising funds for building a secondary school in Bi\u00e9by (Source: Leena Majam\u00e4ki – Fazer Communications \/ PR officer – 2012, np link<\/a>).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Fazer chocolate\u2019s Blue charity campaign has raised discussion in the social media after a column published in Helsingin Sanomat<\/em>. … According to the criticisers, the campaign will not solve the harsh flaws of the cocoa plantations, such as child labour (Source: Hujanen 2012, np link<\/a>).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Discussion \/ Responses<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Fazer surely does not approve of using forced labour or child labour. However, in 12 years the company has not been able to make sure that the company profits are not produced with the work of child slaves. This they will not promise now, either. Instead, Fazer promises a school. Right now Finnish chocolate eaters think it looks good if the company builds a school for African children. … Of course it\u2019s not about Fazer only, not even chocolate. It\u2019s about a world with too much money and will to make bad things look good, too little of either one to change them. In 2020 the child slaves from which the chocolate discussion started are either dead or grown up. Some of them might still be working hard in the cocoa fields like thousands of adult slaves do now. Nobody has promised anything to make their status better (Source: Hirvonen 2012, np link<\/a>).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Shame on the one who invented the concept of corporate responsibility. It has resulted in nothing but awkward campaigns, discomforting reports and loads of half-baked political science theses on corporate responsibility. For me it\u2019s enough if the company does not break the laws and kindly pays taxes. I don\u2019t wish for them to make the kind of ads that undermine people. Beloved Fazer, we know that you\u2019re not really interested in the education of the Africans. And that\u2019s ok. Let\u2019s stop pretending. We eat chocolate, you pay taxes. Let\u2019s not mix this up with African children (Source: Kaarenoja 2012, np link<\/a>).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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There are fundraisers all the time – how many people give any money to the Red Cross? Or any other? At least people buy chocolate (Source: Hmm… 2012, np link<\/a>).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Does somebody actually believe that they have paid 50.000\u20ac for the front page. Wake up. The pricing of the print is something a bit different for the big customers. Maybe 20.000\u20ac would be closer (Source: Paisutellaan 2012, np link<\/a>).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

+32 comments<\/summary>\n

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It\u2019s good that Helsingin Sanomat <\/em>does in-depth work in a field that is discussed and way too little. Every time it\u2019s about wrong methods in child raising and exploitation, it must be brought out, even if it would destroy remarkable business in the home country (Source: Anon 2012c, np link<\/a>).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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I believe the issue was first raised by Vappu Kaarenoja in Ylioppilaslehti<\/em>, rather than what HS [Helsingin Sanomat<\/em>] implies … Is this the case that HS just wanted to wash its hands of participating in an ethically suspicious activity where it got caught up by publishing (and accepting the advertising charge of) Fazer\u2019s campaign ad (Source: Bozeman 2012, np link<\/a>)?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The [Helsingin Sanomat<\/em>] columnist [Elina Hirvonen] attacks only Fazer. Shouldn\u2019t we bring forth all the chocolate producers, why just Fazer? Even if it is the biggest in Finland. But the topic is important, however, and the writing necessary (Source: SonjaHAi 2012, np link<\/a>).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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… the topic will best stick in Finnish people\u2019s hearts when we talk about a firm that is really familiar to every Finn – and Finnish, on top of that. So that we would get everybody to think that how we Finns can also be a part of something like this? If it was let\u2019s say some German cheap company all this would be understood better but we\u2019re talking about Finnish now. This is one of the things when you think if you can do anything about it? If we start boycotting everything, we couldn\u2019t eat about anything. Bad consciousness just keeps growing. And you don\u2019t hear about these things before someone highlights it this way. SIGH (Source: pohku 2012, np link<\/a>)!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\u2018Fazer has its own sponsor village called Bi\u00e9by in Ivory Coast […]. Fazer endows Bi\u00e9by through the ECHOES-programme of World Cocoa Foundation. The aim of the programme is to give the youth of the farming community professional education on things related to cultivating cocoa in pursuance of school education. … By the end of 2011, 560 youngsters in Bi\u00e9by have been given education on cultivating cocoa and there are 100 200 cocoa trees planted on 55 new cocoa plantations, in accordance with the knowledge of the ECHOES-programme\u2019 (Vastuullinen vaikuttaja magazine, spring 2012, p. 20). I wonder why they have not revealed this kind of information in the campaign? When thinking about the effectiveness of responsibility work it is essential to know that it is not just one school that is being built but a longer-term responsibility work (Source: Kutinlahti 2012a, np link<\/a>)!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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This is the reason why Fazer apologised [the 2010 documentary \u2018The Dark Side of Chocolate] (Source: Kitker\u00e4 totuus 2012, np link<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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