Barry Callebaut has confirmed that in fiscal year 2018/19 it sourced 47 per cent of the cocoa and 54 per cent of the other ingredients it uses sustainably.
The achievement was highlighted in Barry Callebaut’s ‘Forever Chocolate Progress Report 2018/19,’ its third progress report since the launch of its Forever Chocolate plan in 2016, tracking the group’s progress towards making sustainable chocolate the norm.
“With over half of our ingredients coming from sustainable sources, we are well on track to have 100 per cent sustainable chocolate by 2025. This is a great achievement and it demonstrates that sustainability is at the heart of our business strategy,” said Antoine de Saint-Affrique, CEO of the Barry Callebaut Group.
In the last fiscal year, the company said it focused on “big innovative projects” that it believes will create a ‘tipping point’ for a sustainable chocolate supply chain. “Our progress report shows that this focus is working, creating tangible impact on the ground for cocoa farmers, cocoa farming communities and all the other players in our supply chain, “said Pablo Perversi, Chief Innovation, Sustainability and Quality Officer at Barry Callebaut.
Forever Chocolate is based on four targets, to be achieved by 2025, that address the largest sustainability challenges in the chocolate supply chain. These are that more than 500,000 cocoa farmers will have been lifted out of poverty; child labour will be eradicated from the supply chain; the industry will become carbon and forest positive; and the company will use 100 per cent sustainable ingredients in all of its products.
This article first appeared in www.coffeeandcocoa.net
