Kinder Bueno parent Ferrero has said that it is committing to a 'deforestation-free global cocoa supply chain', with a series of moves towards ensuring its cocoa is sourced as sustainably as possible.
The group said that it has signed the New York Declaration on Forests by the United Nations and endorsed the HCS Approach (HCSA), a methodology enabling companies to understand forest areas to be protected for their high carbon and biodiversity values.
In addition, it signed a Cocoa and Forests Initiative letter of intent in March 2017, which aims to 'develop an actionable suite of measures to end deforestation and forest degradation, such as investments in more sustainable forms of landscape management and more active partnerships to protect and restore forests in the cocoa landscape'.
Cocoa Mapping
By next year, Ferrero said that it will have 'mapped 100% of its cocoa supply chain to farm-gate level', which will enable the company to identify areas where potential deforestation might be taking place.
'Ferrero is committed to working on the challenges to end deforestation in the cocoa sector, as well as implement key principles and strategies that underpin socially and environmentally sustainable cocoa production,' the company said.
© 2017 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Stephen Wynne-Jones. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.