As the world's largest chocolate company we have a unique responsibility to help transform the livelihoods of cocoa farmers and their communities over the long-term. Demand for chocolate is growing, especially in emerging markets. But cocoa supply is constrained by a complex range of technical, environmental and socio-economic issues. We want to help maintain the long-term stability of the cocoa supply chain and improve the welfare of cocoa farmers and their communities.
These challenges are complex and require a coordinated effort from governments, industry and other organizations.
Cocoa Life aims to create empowered cocoa farmers in thriving communities across our supply chain. Launched in 2012, Cocoa Life will invest $400 million by 2022 to empower 200,000 cocoa farmers and reach one million community members in our six key cocoa growing origins: Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Indonesia, India, the Dominican Republic and Brazil.
Our entire program is built on partnerships with governments, non-government organizations, supply chain partners, cocoa farmer organizations and their communities. To best understand farmers’ needs and put our scale to work on the ground, Cocoa Life works with a group of external advisers and strategic partners.
To learn more, read our Cocoa Life fact sheet or visit cocoalife.org.
By the end of 2018 we have worked with more than 142,000 farmers in 1,476 communities. In 2016, 21% of our cocoa was sourced sustainably:
To follow our progress, visit cocoalife.org and read more in our Cocoa Life progress report.
Over the years, we have worked to help eliminate child labor in cocoa-growing communities. Cocoa Life NGO partners, like CARE International and Solidaridad, raise awareness of child labor in Cocoa Life communities with training for both children and parents. We recognize that every child needs a safe and conducive environment to grow and thrive. Cocoa Life addresses the root causes with actions to improve the livelihoods of farmers, empower women and promote education. See our 2018 Human Rights Due Diligence report for more.
Cocoa Life has partnered with Embode, an independent human rights consultancy, who analyzed the environment and national child protection infrastructure in key cocoa-producing countries and published two independent assessments in 2016 of child protection in the cocoa sector in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana.
Based on Embode’s recommendations, we are working together with government authorities and our program partners to harness the strengths of our community model to bolster our approach to child protection:
You can read more about Cocoa Life’s approach to addressing child labor here.
Founded in 2000, the World Cocoa Foundation (WCF) is an international membership organization representing more than 100 member companies across the cocoa value chain. WCF is committed to creating a sustainable cocoa economy by putting farmers first — promoting agricultural and environmental stewardship and strengthening development in cocoa-growing communities.
The WCF's CocoaAction strategy, launched in May 2014, brings the world's leading cocoa and chocolate companies together to work with governments, NGOs, and key stakeholders to identify and more quickly act on issues in cocoa sustainability.
Established in 2002, the International Cocoa Initiative (ICI) is the leading organization promoting child protection in cocoa-growing communities. ICI works with the cocoa industry, civil society, and national governments in cocoa-producing countries to ensure a better future for children and contribute to the elimination of child labor.