Which cocoa is sustainable?
Sustainability is defined in different ways. This page provides an overview of the Cocoa Platform's understanding.
The Cocoa Platform defines sustainable cocoa as cocoa produced and sourced from a system that A) strives for decent living conditions for cocoa farmers and their families, B) promotes climate mitigation and adaptation, and protects biodiversity, and C) strives for an economically viable and transparent cocoa value chain, both for present and future generations. This definition is based on the Brundtland definition of sustainable development 1987, the International Cocoa Agreement 2010 and the ICCO Global Cocoa Agenda 2012.
The six principles for sustainable cocoa
Based on the above definition, six principles can be formulated to promote sustainability in the cocoa production and value chain:
- Promotion of decent living conditions and the contribution to a living income for cocoa farmers and their families, e.g. through the promotion of income diversification;
- Prevention of the worst forms of child labour;
- Prevention of deforestation and sourcing from protected areas and promotion of reforestation;
- Promotion of climate-smart agriculture and on-farm biodiversity, e.g. through the promotion of agroforestry systems, and soil, water and disease management;
- Increased farm productivity and profitability; and
- Promotion of participation, partnership and transparency along the cocoa value chain.
In the Roadmap 2030 (see "Our goals"), the Cocoa Platform sets out how it contributes to achieving these sustainability goals. You can find out more about our activities under "What we do".
The meaning of different certification labels
Sustainability standards such as Fairtrade Max Havelaar or Rainforest Alliance serve as a guide for consumers and help companies to make their value chains more sustainable. For companies, they are more than just a communication and marketing tool. Implementing sustainability standards helps them to better manage supply chains and operational processes and to minimise risks such as child labour, the improper use of chemical substances or illegal deforestation.
What is a sustainability standard?
A sustainability standard defines a set of principles and criteria related to the three dimensions of sustainability – environmental, social and economic – within a sector, product or industry. Unlike legally binding government regulations, sustainability standards are private and organised through the market, which is why they are called voluntary. On the basis of a certification programme, the respective organisation responsible checks whether the standard is complied with at the relevant stage of the value chain (farms, forest concessions, factories, etc.). Standards that are primarily aimed at consumers are usually referred to as labels or quality seals.
External verification as an alternative to certification
In order to achieve the goal of importing only sustainably produced cocoa products by 2030, the Cocoa Platform relies on the certification labels mentioned above. Another option is verification by an independent third party. There are various company-specific sustainability programmes that have their own standard or catalogue of criteria as a basis. Compliance with the criteria defined in this standard is verified by an external body. An example of this approach is Mondelēz International's global cocoa sustainability programme "Cocoa Life", which is externally verified by the global certification body FLOCERT.
