Luna Lovegood Actress Endorses Campaign to Make all Harry Potter Chocolate Fair Trade

Boston, MA – As excitement surrounding the last film in the Harry Potter franchise gains momentum, so too does the Harry Potter Alliance’s (HPA) campaign to make all Harry Potter chocolate fair trade. Recently Harry Potter film star Evanna Lynch (Luna Lovegood) joined the over 15,000 signatures by fans for Warner Bros. to ensure that Harry Potter chocolate is not made by child slaves.

“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,” said Lynch. “Further, we all want Harry Potter chocolate, and chocolate in general, to have a future. 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.”

Warner Bros. CEO Barry Meyer responded to the HPA’s “Not In Harry’s Name” campaign in a letter to HPA Executive Director Andrew Slack. “We applaud your commitment to social responsibility and support of those in need,” Meyer said, referring to the HPA’s sending five cargo planes to Haiti and work on anti-genocide advocacy around Sudan. Meyer enclosed Time Warner’s ethical sourcing guidelines, adding, “We welcome any specific information you have that would be contrary to our ethical sourcing activities.”

Following the response, Meyer directed Slack to Warner Bros. Consumer Products. Slack is currently working with the department to address the HPA’s chief concerns, specifically the “F” grade given by the International Labor Rights Forum to the company that sells Harry Potter Chocolate. The rating is based on comprehensive human rights criteria.

Slack has presented on the “Not in Harry’s Name” campaign to former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connnor as well as distinguished leaders in academia, business, and entertainment with an encouraging response.

The campaign has not gone unnoticed. “Forging strong partnerships among governments, the private sector, and civil society will be critical to the future of the anti-trafficking movement,” said U.S. State Department Ambassador-at-Large Luis CdeBaca. “I applaud Warner Brothers for their leadership in this effort to combat forced child labor.”

“I commend Warner Bros. for listening to the concerns of the Harry Potter Alliance. Their ethical sourcing guidelines put them and their parent company Time Warner a cut above average for taking seriously the need for responsible sourcing,” says Slack. “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. We believe that our campaign presents a win-win for everyone. The Harry Potter Alliance has brought together a rapidly growing number of people eager to buy Harry Potter chocolate should it fall under the Fair Trade label.”

“Like any well-run business, Warner Bros. should listen closely to its target audience,” said Simon Billenness, a corporate responsibility consultant and advisor to the Harry Potter Alliance. “The fans of Harry Potter have alerted Warner Bros. of the risk to the company’s reputation and business from any association with child labor in the cocoa industry. Moreover, the Harry Potter Alliance has proposed a workable solution: sourcing Fair Trade Certified chocolate.”