SUSTAINABLE COCOA FARMING
deforestation Taking the initiative on
Suzanne Callander takes a look at some of the initiatives that are being put in place in a bid to curb the environmental impact of the cocoa farming, through deforestation.
O
ver many years, consumers love for chocolate has, sadly, had destructive consequences in the regions where cocoa is cultivated, with forests being destroyed,
biodiversity threatened and climate change accelerated, to make way for cocoa plantations. According to 2019 figures from The World Resources Institute, Ivory Coast and Ghana have lost most of their native forest cover in the past 60 years while Ghana and Ecuador have had the highest increases in deforestation rates in 2022.
In a bid to curb the environmental impact of agricultural expansion, which is often responsible for deforestation, regulations have been put in place by the European Union, in the form of the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). This prohibits products from entering the EU market unless they are deforestation-free and legally produced. The regulation also makes it illegal to export such products from the EU. As it relates to cocoa the regulations will apply to beans, products and chocolate. The regulation came into force on 29 June
2023, with an 18-month preparation period that will expire on 30 December 2024. EUDR puts a much greater focus on
traceability across the cocoa industry, requiring the collection of information, data and documents to prove that the land on which cocoa is grown has not been subject to deforestation after 31 December 2020 and that the product has also been produced in accordance with the relevant legislation of the country of production.
24 Kennedy’s Confection June 2024
KennedysConfection.com
Not just a compliance issue “Adapting to these new regulations should not just be considered a compliance issue; it’s an opportunity for the chocolate industry to lead in sustainable practices,” said Julia Ocampo – Vice President of Sustainability & Cocoa Sourcing at Luker Chocolate. “Chocolate companies need to be reassessing their supply chains, engaging in more sustainable sourcing practices, and collaborating with cocoa farmers to promote agroforestry and other eco-friendly farming methods. We embrace the new regulations as we continue to shape a responsible and sustainable future for chocolate production.” Luker Chocolate is undertaking an ambitious
traceability project that will allow it to evidence and monitor, through geo-referenced polygons and lot tracking, that the cocoa growing farms from which it sources its cocoa are deforestation-free. Luker Chocolate sources its cocoa from
Colombia and is believed to have been the first private sector company to sign the Cocoa, Forest, and Peace Initiative (2018) to prevent deforestation in cocoa production there. Additionally, Luker Chocolate signed its own
commitment to Race to Zero in 2021, vowing to reduce its emissions, achieve carbon neutrality by 2022, and transform the cocoa value chain into a sustainable value chain. “As a producer,
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