The Answer: A Love for Fair Trade Chocolate

July 14, 2011: Harry Potter actress Evanna Lynch, starring as Luna Lovegood, recently joined the “Not in Harry’s Name” campaign, urging Warner Brothers to improve the sourcing practices of Harry Potter Chocolate.  The campaign, a collaboration of the Harry Potter Alliance (HPA) and International Labor Rights Forum (ILRF), references the “F” rating assigned by Free2Work and calls on Warner Brothers to make all Harry Potter Chocolate Fair Trade in an effort to stop child labor, forced labor, and trafficking in the cocoa industry.

With tomorrow’s release of the seventh and final Harry Potter movie, Lynch is using her time in the spotlight as an opportunity to endorse the campaign. “As an actor in the Harry Potter films and as a lifelong fan of the Harry Potter series, it would give me great satisfaction to know that chocolate sold in Harry’s name is consistent with the values in Harry Potter,” says Lynch. “If we do not act in a way that is moral toward cocoa farmers now by ensuring that chocolate is Fair Trade, we will all pay a price in the future.”

Over 15,000 Harry Potter fans have joined forces in warning Warner Brothers of the risks of being associated with child labor in the cocoa industry. “The cocoa industry’s connection to child labor is in direct contradiction to these guidelines, to the morals and messages within Harry Potter and the Harry Potter brand,” says Andrew Slack, Executive Director of the Harry Potter Alliance.

At the height of the global recession, souvenir sales including candy, beverage, and other Harry Potter merchandise topped $177 million at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park in Orlando. With the release of the final Harry Potter film, total revenue from merchandise sales are expected to skyrocket.

Barry Meyer, Warner Brothers’ CEO, and Slack are working with the Warner Brothers Consumer Products department to address concerns raised by the campaign, specifically the “F” grade given by Free2Work. Harry Potter Chocolate received an F rating

for the company’s lack of publicly available information concerning any policies related to labor rights or monitoring its supply chain. The campaign has not gone unnoticed and Warner Brothers is taking seriously the need for responsible sourcing.

About Free2Work

Free2Work is an online resource that streamlines information on the labor policies of companies and products and makes this information easily accessible to the average consumer. Companies receive an “A” through “F” grade based on supply chain transparency, code of conduct, response to child and forced labor, and overall efforts to empower workers. www.Free2Work.org

About Not For Sale

The Not For Sale Campaign equips and mobilizes Smart Activists to deploy innovative solutions
to re-abolish slavery in their own backyards and across the globe. www.notforsalecampaign.org

About International Labor Rights Forum

International Labor Rights Forum is an advocacy organization dedicated to achieving just and
humane treatment for workers worldwide. www.laborrights.org