Imperial helping to end child labor

Imperial Tobacco is strengthening its ties with a charity working to end child labor in tobacco growing areas of the world.

In a note posted on its website, the company said that all of its executive directors were leading by example by championing specific areas of responsibility, ranging from sustainable sourcing to employee well-being, in support of its ‘Our values, Our responsibility’ initiative.

As part of the initiative, group finance director, Bob Dyrbus, who has chosen to champion the elimination of child labour, visited the Eliminating Child Labour in Tobacco Growing Foundation (ECLT) offices in Geneva to learn more about the work they do and discuss their future ambitions.

“This is an important organization in terms of the children it helps and also in supporting our supply chain integrity,” said Dyrbus.

After the visit, ECLT executive director, Sonia Velazquez, said the ECLT team had felt “very inspired” by Dyrbus’ commitment and ideas.

“Having an additional source of support and strategic advice will help with the development of our funding strategy and raise the profile of our organization across the wider industry,” she said.