Big Interview
Celebrating 10 years of Cargill’s Cocoa Promise: Sustainable growth in chocolate
Kiran Grewal sits down with Kate Clancy, Global Sustainability Director for Cargill’s Food & Bio, to discuss how the company has achieved sustainability milestones while addressing challenges and envisioning a future focused on innovation and collaboration
Q: Can you share some of the key sustainability initiatives and progress that Cargill’s Cocoa and Chocolate Business has achieved over the past decade,
and how have
these initiatives contributed to the company’s overall sustainability goals? Today, the Cargill Cocoa Promise touches the lives of approximately
220,000 farmers and their communities, spans six cocoa- producing countries and encompasses more than 100 collaborative projects aimed at addressing some of the biggest environmental, social, and economic challenges facing the cocoa sector. We’ve trained all Cargill Cocoa Promise farmers on
sustainable cocoa production practices, helped families find new ways to increase their household income and worked to keep children off farms and in school. We’ve used innovative GPS polygon mapping technology and satellite data to identify and address deforestation risks and helped farmers adopt agroforestry practices that reforest areas, supplement farmers’ incomes, and sequester carbon dioxide. And we’ve brought financial and physical traceability to our supply chain, leveraging digital solutions like bar coding and mobile banking. As a result of these and other efforts, 100% of cocoa in our direct supply chain is traceable up to the first point of purchase, 72% of the farms in our direct supply chain have been mapped and about half of all cocoa that we source is certified sustainably produced either by third party certifiers (like UTZ or RA) or by the Cargill Promise Verified Scheme. Most importantly, over the last decade, we have collaborated
with more than 60 partners across the industry, showing that business can be an important force to deliver societal change. Everything we do in cocoa & chocolate ladders up to Cargill’s purpose to nourish the world in a safe, responsible and sustainable way.
18 Kennedy’s Confection October 2023
Q: As a Global Sustainability Director, you likely work closely with various stakeholders. Could you provide an example of a successful collaboration or partnership that has significantly advanced sustainability practices within the cocoa and chocolate industry? One great example is the Cocoa & Forests Initiative, in which the governments of Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana joined with Cargill and other leading cocoa and chocolate companies - representing 85% of global cocoa usage - to end deforestation and restore forest areas. Balancing the wellbeing of farmers with the conservation and restoration of forests is one of the most pressing challenges in the cocoa sector. By using innovative technology, here at Cargill we are mapping farms, tracing cocoa, assessing deforestation risk, engaging suppliers and prioritizing actions on the ground. Our actions, in collaboration with the Cocoa & Forest Initiative, play a crucial role in sequestering carbon stocks in West African forests and addressing climate change, in line with the Paris Climate Agreement.
Q: Ensuring sustainable practices across the supply chain is a complex task. Could you discuss some of the challenges you’ve encountered in promoting sustainability within the cocoa supply chain, and how have you and your team overcome these challenges? The calls for transformative action to solve the challenges facing the cocoa sector are more pressing than ever. Only by driving improvements at all levels – economic, environmental and social – can we achieve structural change. One of the key challenges facing the sector is that too many
cocoa farmers still do not earn a living income. That’s why access to tailored farm management coaching, finance (such as micro loans) and market linkages are key elements of the Cargill Cocoa Promise. Price mechanisms such as sustainability cash premiums, in combination with supply management and income diversification, help farmers achieve more consistent revenue, thereby increasing their resilience. More transparency, for example through digital tools and national traceability systems, can help ensure these additive measures benefit farmers.
KennedysConfection.com
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