Several NGOs have said they had filed a legal complaint in Germany accusing giant coffee companies of sourcing beans from suppliers that exploit workers and violate human rights.
The complaint alleges that Nestle, Starbucks, Dallmayr and the Neumann Kaffee Gruppe (NKG) have all violated Germany's Supply Chain Act, which requires companies to monitor human rights and environmental issues throughout their global supply chains.
"On coffee plantations that supply Nestle, Starbucks, Neumann Kaffee Gruppe and others, children toil, people are harassed, and rights are abused," Etelle Higonnet, director of the advocacy organisation Coffee Watch, one of the NGOs behind the complaint, said in statement.
The group cited several previous reports by NGOs that found alleged human rights and labor issues at coffee suppliers in China, Mexico, Brazil and Uganda.
Starbucks told Germany's Spiegel magazine that it rejects the "unfounded" accusations in the complaint.
Nestle told AFP in a statement that the company has "robust human rights due diligence processes."
Coffee Watch referred to reports of "serious violations on coffee farms in China, Mexico, Brazil and Uganda, including child labour and forced labor, massive violations of workplace safety standards and wage exploitation."
"We believe the problems are serious, systematic, and widespread," said Higonnet.
Controversy has surrounded Germany's supply chain law since it went into effect in 2023.
Supporters contend it is a vital measure to stop German firms from profiting from labor and environmental abuses abroad.
But some industry groups contend it puts an excessive and unfair burden on businesses.
