INTHEBLACK April 2025 - Magazine - Page 25
The global chocolate industry
is trying to solve a multitude
of complex sustainability issues
such as child labour and slavery,
improved farming practices and
fair pay.
Building resilience in the
industry requires a systemic
rethink and collaborative
action between governments,
policymakers and industry.
Single origin and bean-to-bar
movements are helping with
the traceability of beans and
keeping growing numbers
of chocolate lovers satisfied.
The problem
with chocolate
Chocolate is the ultimate taste sensation for many, but unwrapping the
global industry serves up some unappetising realities on the ESG front.
Words Deborah Tarrant
THE GLOBAL CHOCOLATE
industry is built on an ever-growing market
for sweet treats and palate-thrilling moments,
but — by contrast — its environmental,
social and governance (ESG) record has long
left a metaphorical ‘bad taste in the mouth’
for many.
As focus on supply-chain sustainability
and human rights gets sharper, and climate
change continues, chocolate production faces
mounting challenges.
Child labour and slavery have been
pervasive in the cocoa industry. More than
90 per cent of production today still comes
from smallholder farmers with limited
resources and inadequate infrastructure.
Currently, around 1.56 million children
are estimated to be working illegally in
cocoa in the West African countries of
Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire, where nearly
60 per cent of the world’s cocoa is sourced.
World Cocoa Foundation (WCF)
president Chris Vincent notes further
challenges. “Unfavourable weather
conditions, partly driven by climate change
or the El Niño phenomenon, are negatively
impacting growing conditions and yields,
which are threatening the livelihoods
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