The report details progress on its $1 billion investment towards driving a sustainable cocoa supply chain. Launched in 2018, the website explains their methodology and reasoning. There’s quite a lot of material to read, but it’s well presented, informative and delivers specific measurable goals, which we found refreshing.
Mars explains that their objectives are not purely altruistic. They understand when a farmer or someone else in the supply chain is unable to earn a decent living, they will leave the industry. The company recognises that their commercial interests and the interests of each person in the supply chain are, in fact, aligned. As they say in their 2017 farmer income position statement;
Our decision to engage and act on this issue is based on both principles and business needs. – https://www.mars.com/about/policies-and-practices/farmer-income
As part of its Cocoa for Generations strategy, Mars aims to ensure 100% of its cocoa is sourced through its Responsible Cocoa program and traceable by 2025.
| Progress | Dec 31, 2018 | Dec 31,2019 |
|---|---|---|
| Traceable to a country of origin via our Tier 1 direct suppliers 1 | 95% | 95% |
| Traceable to Tier 2 - farmer group | 40% | 51% |
| Traceable to Tier 3 - farm level | 24% | 33% |
The report shows 2019 progress and highlights key 2020 achievements to date, which include its Covid-19 response, the launch of its Protecting Children Action Plan detailing its approach to protecting children in cocoa-growing communities, the release of its Tier 2 cocoa farmer group disclosure and interactive map, and its efforts to halt deforestation in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana as part of the Cocoa & Forests Initiative.
Mars Wrigley’s commitments to protecting children, preserving forests and improving farmer income under its Cocoa for Generations strategy include:
- Protecting Children: 51% of the total volumes of cocoa it sourced from at-risk areas in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana came from farmer groups with Child Labour Monitoring and Remediation Systems in place.
- Preserving Forests: Building on its commitment to cocoa supply chain transparency, Mars Wrigley released its Tier 1 supplier disclosure followed by its Tier 2 farmer group disclosure accompanied by an interactive map.
- Improve Farmer Income: Mars was the first chocolate company to publicly support the Living Income Differential (LID) adopted by the governments of Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana and called on others to do the same. It also continues to work with the Farmer Income Lab on solutions to help improve farmers incomes.
Andrew Clarke, Mars Wrigley Global President said:
Today we recognize the progress we’ve made on our goals of increasing cocoa farmer income, protecting children, supporting women’s social and economic empowerment, and tackling deforestation.
While some in the industry are accelerating with us, collectively we must go further and faster to reshape the cocoa sector. We’re calling for robust public-private collaborations so that human rights are respected, and the environment is protected, as we create a modern, inclusive and sustainable cocoa supply for the next generations to thrive.