A practical tool helping coffee companies identify and address the deeper causes of labor violations, from poverty and migration to recruitment practices.
This tool guides coffee sector actors in diagnosing the underlying causes of labor violations across global supply chains. It identifies four major drivers—poverty, labor shortages, migration, and the use of unregulated labor brokers—as interconnected factors shaping risk. Using accessible frameworks such as the “5 Whys” method (page 6) and a “Root Cause Tree” diagram (page 10), it helps companies move beyond surface-level fixes to sustainable remediation. The tool encourages joint action among producers, traders, and buyers to improve recruitment, training, and living conditions for coffee workers.
This tool is one of 28 tools and 14 online training modules comprising the COFFEE Toolkit, which was developed as part of Verité’s Cooperation on Fair, Free, Equitable Employment (COFFEE) Project through generous funding from the US Department of Labor’s Bureau of International Labor Affairs (USDOL-ILAB).
Coffee
