Unilever's sustainability practices questioned by NGO group
A Netherlands-based non-governmental group claims that Unilever has not stopped abuses of tea workers, despite committing to source its teas sustainably. Center for Research on Multinational Corporations alleges that Unilever, which manufactures the famous Lipton brand, has failed to stop abuses of workers on Unilevers Kenyan estate, including sexual harassment and poor housing conditions. It also purchases tea from estates in India where workers are kept permanently on rolling short-term contracts, denying them health and pension benefits, and are often exposed to dangerous pesticides while working. Unilever calls the claims unsubstantiated and relies on independent audits of its tea plantations by the Rainforest Alliance, a US-based nonprofit environmental group.