Supply Chain
Child labor

Child labour: mineral make-up boom raises fears over ethical extraction

Burgess COMMENTARY

Peter Burgess

Child labour: mineral make-up boom raises fears over ethical extraction The market for mica, a mineral used in beauty products, is growing fast but India's export industry remains unregulated More on this: Lush to remove mica from all products over child labour fears Huw Nesbitt Jump to comments (0) Woman wearing glittery make-up Modern cosmetics often include mica, a mineral which creates a glowing complexion – but at what cost? Photograph: Alamy After media reports of alleged links between cosmetic makeup and illnesses including cancer, discerning consumers have switched to mineral cosmetics in an attempt to find a more natural beauty alternative. Many of these mineral products contain mica, a glittery substance used in blusher, eyeliner, eye shadow, mascara, lipstick and foundation. Today the main source of this material is India, which accounts for 60% of global production and possesses an industry that is estimated to have grown by 8.5% during the last two years. Nonetheless, concerns about the safety of the country's mica supply chains are increasing. According to the Australian newspaper The Age, child labour is endemic in India's mica mining business and 86% of the country's mica exports in 2010-2011 were unregulated. Presented with this evidence, British cosmetic brand Lush, which uses mica from India in its handmade products, was shocked. 'That's appalling,' says co-founder Rowena Bird. 'I became aware of this issue a few years ago, which is why we require our suppliers to issue a certificate declaring that its mica production is free of forced labour of all kinds. Of course, such declarations are based on trust, but now that this issue has been raised again, we will discontinue the use of mica in our products.' The obstacles Lush encountered in establishing an ethical source of mica are affecting the entire cosmetics industry. Many companies rely on assurances from their distributors to ensure their mica supply chains are free from child labour. However these guarantees are difficult to assess, since they are often not subject to external evaluation. One solution is social auditing. Through consistent checks undertaken by external parties, suppliers of mica can provide evidence to prove they do not use forced labour. Recently, L'Oreal's mica supplier in India, Merck, has undertaken such steps. Since 2007 it has employed human resource consultants Environmental Resource Management to carry out monthly assessments of its mines. Aidan McQuade director of Anti-Slavery International, is not convinced by this method. 'Audits take individual samples of working conditions and often miss bigger issues,' he says. 'There's also the problem that evidence of child labour is frequently hidden during these audits, as these processes are open to corruption. And, since audits are not designed to look for specific problems – as an investigation would – they are arguably engineered to ignore them.' Merck is also working in partnership with NGO Bachpan Bachao Andolan (Save the Childhood Campaign) to create 'child-friendly villages' in mica-sourcing Indian communities, helping to reduce the level of child labour in these areas. Fellow cosmetics giant Esteé-Lauder has also been involved with BBA, and claims that its affiliation with the National Resources Stewardship Circle – a commercial council promoting responsible sourcing for the beauty industry – is prompting a collaborative resolution to problems in the supply chain. 'By introducing the NRSC to our work with BBA we've been able to involve several cosmetics companies to the project too,' says Esteé Lauder spokesperson Anna Klein. When asked the exact amount of financial investment they had made, Klein says: 'For us, it's not about the financial investment we've made but about the human investment.' Anti-Slavery International believes such partnerships are beneficial but can be self-serving. 'Unless Esteé Lauder is investing at least 1% of their pre-tax profits into this scheme, it's a token gesture,' says Aidan McQuade. 'However, the way we could start fixing this problem is if the UK government included compulsory reporting of forced labour as part of its anti-slavery legislation. That way, it could also make companies responsible for labour abuses in their supply chains in the same way they have through similar reforms to corporate bribery.' McQuade may be right. The issue of child labour is so endemic that reforms to one sector alone cannot overturn the practice. In 2010, the International Labour Organisation estimated that 215 million children around the world are forced to work. The organisation has spearheaded efforts to eradicate child labour by encouraging its members to adopt a minimum working age. Despite this, companies still have no legal obligation to conform to its suggestions. Bird agrees that there is a culture of wilful ignorance in the supply chains of many western industries. 'The beauty industry turns a blind eye to lots of things, but it's not the only one using mica,' she says. 'It's also used in paint, mobile phones and has many industrial uses. It's also sourced in other places with similar supply chain issues such as China and Africa. The point is, however, that once you're aware of these things, it's up to you to do something about it.' Join the community of sustainability professionals and experts. Become a GSB member to get more stories like this direct to your inbox