- UNICEF estimates that around 150 million children worldwide are engaged in child labor, almost 8% of children globally. Child labor prevalence is highest in sub-Saharan Africa.
- There is a spectrum of child work including work that contributes to development and labor/harmful labor that prevents education and development. Child Labor Free focuses on eliminating labor and harmful labor.
- Child labor is defined as work that is illegal for children, likely to harm their health/development, or that interferes with their education.
2. CHILDLABOR
-THEISSUEUNICEF estimates that around 150 million children worldwide are engaged in child labor.
That is almost 8% of children worldwide.
Children around the world are routinely engaged in paid and unpaid forms of work that
are not harmful to them. However, they are classified as child labourers when they are
either too young to work or are involved in hazardous activities that may compromise
their physical, mental, social or educational development.
The prevalence of child labour is highest in sub-Saharan Africa. In the least developed
countries, nearly one in four children (ages 5 to 14) are engaged in labour that is
considered detrimental to their health and development.
3. THESPECTRUMOF
CHILDLABORChild Work Child Labor
THEREISASPECTRUMOFWORK - WORK | LABOR |HARMFULLABOR
Work is a positive force in a child's life and contributes to social and cultural development. It includes after
school work; paper run, farm work, etc.
Labor is a negative force in a child's life preventing access to an education, training and social development.
It includes; factory-based production and manufacturing, manual labor, agricultural labor, etc.
Harmful labor is a harmful force in a child's life. CLF would like to see harmful labor completely eradicated. It
includes; prostitution, exposure to chemicals, hazardous machinery or working conditions.
Child Labor Free focuses on Labor and Harmful Labor.
Harmful Labor
4. DEFINING
CHILDLABORChild Labor is work undertaken by a Child, which:
The Child is legally
prohibited from
undertaking; or
Is likely to be harmful
to the Child’s health
or physical, mental,
spiritual, moral, or
social development; or
Interferes with a
Child’s education.
Appropriated from: Convention of the Rights of the Child (1990), Article 32. 1;
The International Labor Organization (2012, 2014), and the United Nations definition (2014).
5. THESOLUTIONUsing proprietary software, we have developed the world’s first global
accreditation system to independently analyse supply chains for the
use of child labor across all product categories. This allows brands
to confidently stand behind the products they sell and a marketable
advantage over their competitors.
We understand that becoming Child Labor Free is a journey so
accreditation is broken down into 3 stages - manufacturing,
component and source.
CLF offers a consultancy service to assist businesses in moving
through accreditation to ultimately have transparency in their supply
chain back to source materials.
Applicant is accepted by CLF System
Administrator (SA) and can now upload
supply chain information
External Assessor is assigned to analyse
documentation and provide CLF SA with
a report of recommendations
Applicant registers on CLF website
Site inspections are completed if Assessor
identifies a risk - site inspections can be
undertaken by CLF at any time
CLF approval – branding kit distributed
6. In the same way that we have come to expect 'cruelty free' as an industry standard in beauty products
or 'free range' produce in our supermarkets, we believe that Child Labor Free will become a globally
recognised mark of certainty giving consumers the information they need to make an informed choice.
WHATWILLITDO
FORCONSUMERS?
7. Child Labor Free Products
Menu
Jeans, NYC
Child Labor Free since 2014
Essentials for women, men, kids
& babies. Clothing with innovation
and real value, engineered to
enhance your life every day
www.uniqlo.com | Get directions
CONSUMER
INTERFACEA consumer facing campaign will be launched later in
the year to increase awareness of the mark.
A branding kit will be issued as part of the annual
license fee to give brands tailored options to share their
journey with the consumer - including use of the mark
on swing tags, shop signage, counter top displays, etc.
The Child Labor Free website will be used to
communicate to consumers by showcasing accredited
brands.
A mobile app for consumers to geo-locate CLF
accredited retailers to drive sales in-store.
An e-commerce portal that will direct consumers to
CLF accredited brand sites on-line.
9. HOWMUCHWILLCLF
ACCREDITATIONCOST?CLFISABESPOKEPRICINGMODEL-FURTHERPRICINGINFORMATIONISAVAILABLEUPONREQUEST
Accreditation Fee - there are 3 key stages of assessment completed by an independent assessor: company
profile check, documentation review and site inspections. The number of site inspections is dependant on
the quality and credibility of documentation provided to eliminate risks identified by the assessor. In the
second and following years there will be a basic assessment undertaken at approximately 50% of the first
years fee to ensure the information provided and the risk profile of the details has not significantly changed.
Annual License fee - we are aware child labor is a highly complex issue and recognise that we will need
expert guidance to help us support children and families on the ground once the labor is removed. The
Annual License Fee to carry the mark is determined by the size of the brand and product range accredited
and will fund preventative projects impacting on the issue of child labor.
10. WEAREINVITINGYOUTOBECOMEANINDUSTRYLEADERASONEOFOURFOUNDINGCLIENTS.
What’s in it for you? - Your participation as a founding client would become part of our brand story giving
you the opportunity to be part of a global PR and communications campaign Through our New Zealand
launch in June you will increase your brands profile in ethical processes. Exposure may include but not be
limited to - featuring on our website, in media coverage, and events, which will in turn drive sales.
How much time is involved? - Dependant on the complexity of your products and whether you aim to
achieve manufacturing, component or source accreditation the process could take a matter of hours.
How secure is my data? - All data uploaded is securely held by Azure (Microsoft) in Australia and backed up
in Singapore. A CLF Systems Administrator, assigned external assessor (EY) and the applicant are the only
access points.
See our Privacy Policy for more information - www.childlaborfree.com/site/privacypolicy
HOWWILLCLFIMPACT
YOURBUSINESS?
11. CLFWILLBESCALEDINTOANINTERNATIONALMARKETIN2016
Beta Test - one BETA test, Starex Manufacturing, has gone through the CLF system in it's entirety to test
procedures and software. Starex is a manufacturer of children's furniture in Mount Maunganui, New Zealand
and will be accredited Child Labor Free to Manufacturing.
Pilot Testing - to test the software and procedures further we are currently processing 5 pilot brands
through the accreditation system to manufacturing level with a plan to launch to New Zealand consumers
in August 2015.
Early Adopters - upon pilot brands completing the process 15 - 20 early adopters will be signed up across
various product categories and countries with the intention of releasing CLF into the international market by
January 2016. Conversations with early adopters has begun to ensure this timeline can be met.
SCALINGCLFINTOAN
INTERNATIONALMARKET
12. WHATHAPPENSTOTHECHILDRENONCETHELABORISREMOVED?
We are aware of the highly complex nature of this issue and recognise that we cannot simply remove work
from communities where child labor is found. CLF's priority is to establish sustainable solutions so that child
labor is permanently eliminated.
We are working with UNICEF to investigate ways to address the other side of the issue ensuring we are
supporting children and families on the ground once the labor is removed.
Through the Annual License Fee, CLF will support communities in changing their cultural acceptance of
child labor, while supporting strategies and programming to provide alternative income to families, access
to nurseries, quality education and protective services.
ADDRESSINGTHEOTHER
SIDEOFTHEISSUE
13. CREDENTIALS&CONTACTS
MICHELLE PRATT
Child Labor Free
Chief Executive Officer
Michelle has almost 30 years experience in the field of children’s education
across both the commercial and not-for-profit sectors and has a strong interest
in outcomes for children and families across all cultural contexts.
Michelle has owned and operated a series of early childhood and integrated
family centres with business partner Nikki Prendergast. The pair have previously
partnered on a not-for-profit initiative called ‘Living & Learning’ to provide
childcare and family support for low socio-economic areas.
They currently co-own a successful group of private childcare centres and the
educational resource company - ‘New Shoots’.
Michelle’s entrepreneurial success was recently recognised at the New Zealand
Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards, where she
was named a 2014 finalist. She is now focused
on leading the global launch of Child Labor Free
in 2015.
Michelle has been a regular lecturer at Auckland University across a range of
early childhood education subjects. She is also a frequent contributor to many
international journals and magazines on children’s issues. She has a Bachelor
of Early Childhood Studies from Melbourne University and a postgraduate
certificate in future learning from Harvard.
michelle.pratt@childlaborfree.com
NIKKI PRENDERGAST
Child Labor Free
Founder & Director
Nikki has been in the field of early childhood education for the past 20 years, working
in New Zealand, Australia and the UK. During this time she has managed a range of
operations, from community based centres, to large corporate facilities, before she
co-founded a successful chain of private early childhood centres and an educational
resource company ‘New Shoots’ with business partner Michelle Pratt.
The two have also previously worked together on a not-for-profit initiative - ‘Living
& Learning’ that provided high quality early childhood care for low socio-economic
areas as well as giving support to families and the surrounding community.
Nikki continues to work alongside the Ministry of Education as a specialist consultant
for a range of centres across New Zealand, advising on management systems,
environmental design, and human resource systems. She has a Diploma in Teaching
from Wellington College of Education and is a registered teacher.
nikki.prendergast@childlaborfree.com