Food manufacturer Mondelez International announced its sustainability program Cocoa Life has made good progress. By the end of 2015, more than a fifth of the cocoa it used for its production, was grown in a sustainable way.
Growers’ income tripled
Mondelez created Cocoa Life in 2012 in order to create more sustainable cocoa production in Ghana, Ivory Coast, Dominican Republic, India and Brazil. To that end, it collaborates with 76,700 cocoa growers in nearly 800 communities.
The growers’ income has tripled compared to 2009, thanks to the program. The cookie and chocolate manufacturer boasts its growers have outperformed other growers by 49 %, while its cocoa production has also grown 37 % faster.
By 2020, the company wants to have invested 400 million dollars through Cocoa Life, to support some 200,000 cocoa growers. “I am proud about our Cocoa Life program and how it has transformed our cocoa supply chain, as our report shows. It unites the start and the end of our cocoa supply chain, so that growers can see how their harvest contributes to the chocolate we enjoy”, César Melo (President, Global Chocolate, Mondelēz International) said.
