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we call on all palm oil producers , their buyers , and investors to adopt and implement the Fair Labour Principles .” Many companies have already committed to sourcing responsible palm oil by the end of 2015 out of concern for controversies taking place in their supply chains . As their deadline quickly approaches , the outlined recommendations offer a detailed set of guidelines to help companies , consumer brands , investors and stakeholders reach those commitments by eliminating forced labor and exploitation in their supply chains and improving the rights and wages of workers .
Practices associated with forced labour in the industry have included debt bondage , confiscation of passports , physical confinement , withholding of wages , false terms of employment and threats of physical and sexual violence .
Lucia von Reusner , shareholder advocate for Green Century Capital Management , which manages responsible and diversified fossil fuel-free mutual funds , commented : “ Globally respected companies increasingly recognise that the use of forced and child labour to produce key ingredients like palm oil is an unacceptable business practice that risks damaging their brand and shareholder value .
“ The Fair Labour Principles outline what palm oil companies must do to uphold the rights of plantation labourers who have been abused too often by the state and their employers .
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