Ethical chocolate brand Tony’s Chocolonely is inviting chocolate makers around the globe to participate in its’Tony’s Open Chain‘ sustainability-focused cocoa supply chain platform.
The initiative aims to use its five Sourcing Principles to tackle illegal child labour and modern slavery by addressing poverty.
These 5 Sourcing Principles interact with each other and aims to strengthen the positive impact, but also to counteract possible, negative side-effects. An integrated approach is needed, geared to structurally change the system. Every principle has its own tools.
TRACEABLE BEANS
Tony’s Beantracker, the digital traceability platform for bean traceability. Through Tony’s Beantracker it is known what volume of beans is being shipped and what is already being processed in Belgium. Also, in the Beantracker it is known which farmers supplied what percentage of each shipping container of beans.
CLMRS, a tool by International Cocoa Initiative (ICI), for traceability on social data on illegal – & child labour. ICI and Nestlé developed this system, that addresses the issue of child labour in cocoa production and helps improve the living conditions of the farmers. Tony’s implemented the Child Labour Monitoring and Remediation System (CLMRS) at partner cooperatives in Ghana and Ivory Coast. The CLMRS monitors the children of the farmers that supply cocoa. Besides raising awareness of the consequences of child labour in cocoa communities, social data is gartered to ascertain whether, where and why child labour is being used. In this way, it’s possible to take action and to find permanent solutions.
Invest in direct contact, time and money by assisting in finding new, international markets, organise transport, stimulate mutual buying of agricultural resources and democratic AGM’s.
Invest in organisational capacity and professional farmer groups.
THE LONG-TERM
Commitment by signing five-year cooperation agreements (MOU’s a.k.a. “Memorandum of Understanding”), after 1 year of trial runs, and annual plans.
PRODUCTIVITY & QUALITY
Farm development plans and diversification.
Farmer coaching groups.
Agricultural service delivery by coops for professional farming (>800 kg per hectare).
The company’s mission statement of ‘making slave free chocolate the norm,’ had formed a strategic partnership with Barry Callebaut for its cocoa sourcing in Ghana and Ivory Coast several years ago.
Its sustainable supply platform has now been scaled up in order to include cocoa butter, enabling all types of chocolate to be produced. A plug-and-play set-up now also allows new mission allies to onboard in just a few months and become sustainability front-runners by the next cocoa season in October 2021.
Tony’s Open Chain is designed so that all chocolate-making companies can take responsibility for an open and transparent supply chain, where issues are brought out in the open, so they can be solved.
Paul Schoenmaker, Head of Impact, Tony’s Chocolonely
Paul Schoenmaker, Head of Impact at Tony’s Chocolonely explains:
Since the launch of Tony’s Open Chain in 2019, we’ve figured out exactly how to turn our great ideas for sparking change in the chocolate industry into an even greater reality.
Now, we’ve made it as easy as possible for all chocolate brands to join Tony’s Open Chain and assume responsibility for human rights and sustainability issues such as deforestation in their cocoa supply chain.
Everything we build in Tony’s Open Chain focuses on making it scalable and replicable, while keeping the model credible. Only together we’ll make chocolate 100% slave-free.
As part of paving the way for new partners, Tony’s has expanded the initiative to also include 100% traceable cocoa butter, the key ingredient in white chocolate. This latest addition means that Tony’s Open Chain is now available for all types of chocolate.
Furthermore, sourcing cocoa butter through Tony’s Open Chain means that the bean volume demand has almost tripled in 2020/2021, creating an immediate positive impact with cocoa farmers: more beans means more impact.
As a result, the platform’s first mission ally, leading Dutch supermarket chain Albert Heijn, has now completed the goal of transforming its entire Delicata range supply chain.
Following these milestones, Tony’s Open Chain is ready for more global mission partners to join.
