Big Take Podcast

The Abuse Allegations at Rubber Plantations Supplying Top Tiremakers

On today’s Big Take podcast: an investigation into allegations of sexual coercion at plantations run by Socfin, a rubber company supplying top tiremakers.

Latex drips into buckets attached to rubber trees at the Salala Rubber Corp. plantation in Liberia, in November 2024.Photographer: Etinosa Yvonne/Bloomberg

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By Sarah Holder and David Fox

April 16, 2025 at 10:44 PM UTC

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For years, a rubber and palm oil company that supplies some of the world’s top tiremakers has been dogged by allegations of sexual coercion at its plantations. Socfin — short for Société Financière des Caoutchoucs — says it has taken steps to improve matters, but an exclusive Bloomberg report shows those claims remain widespread.

On today’s Big Take podcast, host Sarah Holder sits down with Bloomberg’s Sheridan Prasso to discuss her investigation into why the abuse has been so hard to stop — and a new EU law that could give corporations like Socfin a big incentive to reform.

Read more: Sex-for-Work Allegations Hang Over Tycoons' Rubber Plantations

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Here is a lightly edited transcript of the conversation: