Through sector associations in cooperation with the rest of the international cocoa and chocolate industry, Cloetta participates in initiatives to improve the conditions for the world’s cocoa growers. Among other things, this cooperation includes efforts to establish better working conditions and safer growing methods.
For several years the chocolate industry, in dialogue with several of the major cocoa-producing nations, has highlighted cocoa growing as a matter of common interest for the sector and the industry. In response to challenges such as poverty, inadequate growing methods and the use of child labour above all in family farms, the industry has driven joint initiatives to address these issues.
Cloetta is a member of the WCF (World Cocoa Foundation), Caobisco (Chocolate, Biscuit & Confectionery Industries of the EU) and Chokofa (the Swedish industry organisation). The WCF supports cocoa farmers and their families through a range of programmes in all major cocoa growing areas. Caobisco supports International Cocoa Initiatives for example through the development of control and certification systems for cocoa production. At present, Chokofa is among other things working on a project that is contributing to better conditions in West Africa.
Cloetta purchases all cocoa mass, cocoa butter and cocoa powder for its chocolate production from producers in Germany and the Netherlands. The suppliers purchase cocoa beans directly from countries in West Africa (primarily Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire), either from cooperatives or exporters. In the supply chain it is difficult to maintain traceability all the way down to the individual growers, since 90% (approx. 2 million) of the cocoa plantations in West Africa consist of small family farms. An estimated 3.5 million people in Côte d’Ivoire are employed in the production of cocoa and the corresponding figure for Ghana is 3.2 million.
In February 2010 we at Cloetta launched good – a series of milk chocolate bars that are certified by Fairtrade. This launch is a small but important part of a larger effort to improve the conditions for employees and growers in cocoa-producing countries.
Read more under the heading Sustainable cocoa growing
Christina Björck
Communications Director