The Ferrero Group has achieved its goal of sourcing 100 per cent sustainable cocoa through independently managed standards by the end of 2020.
The global leader in sweet packaged foods is continuing to drive forward and scale its cocoa sustainability efforts as part of the Ferrero Farming Values Programme.
It is making strong progress towards its goal of reaching 100 per cent traceability across its cocoa supply chain and proper due diligence. And has renewed and extended its strategic partnership with Save the Children, committing significant investment to protecting children in cocoa communities.
These initiatives are part of Ferrero’s wider commitment to deliver on its sustainability strategy – to improve farmers’ livelihoods, protect children’s rights, and safeguard the environment.
In 2011, Ferrero made a commitment to sourcing 100 per cent cocoa beans by 2020 to help improve the living conditions of farmers and to foster sustainable practices. Today, the business proudly confirms it has achieved that goal through leading certification bodies and other independently managed standards such as Rainforest Alliance (UTZ), Fairtrade, and Cocoa Horizons.
In 2019, Ferrero broadened the scope of its target to include the chocolate sourced from third parties, and its partnership with these certification bodies allows them to benefit from their different strengths and enrich its ongoing cocoa sustainability strategy.
Ferrero’s cocoa sourcing strategy is based on a distinctive set of principles that enable the company to implement due diligence throughout its supply chain and apply targeted solutions.
In the 19/20 crop season, Ferrero managed to trace more than 95 per cent of its total cocoa beans back to the farms and it is strongly advancing on the traceability of the chocolate sourced from third parties.
The company is also making considerable progress on mapping the farmers in its supply chain as part of its commitment to prevent deforestation, and on covering farmer groups with a Child Labor Monitoring and Remediation System or equivalent systems.
Another major focus of Ferrero’s programme is to empower women and reduce gender inequality. For instance, Ferrero has so far supported around 14,000 cocoa community members, primarily women, in accessing small loans for entrepreneurial activities.
Save the Children partnership
The €8 million Save the Children project is anticipated to last for five years and will directly benefit 37,000 children and adults, and a total of 90,000 through mass awareness and outreach activities. This is a major action pledge as part of the UN’s International Year for the Elimination of Child Labour.
The renewed partnership will see scaled up activities in 65 communities in the Ivorian HautSassandra region where Ferrero sources a significant amount of cocoa.
It will strengthen child protection systems, increase access to quality education and nutrition, support community development and empower women and adolescents.
A new dimension in the partnership will be for Save the Children to provide strategic guidance and technical support to Ferrero and its suppliers to ensure a harmonised approach to child protection across Ferrero’s supply chain in Ivory Coast and Ghana.
Ferrero and Save the Children will closely coordinate with national and local authorities and other industry initiatives to create synergies where possible and maximise impact.
Marco Gonçalves, Chief Procurement & Hazelnut Company Officer, said: “We continue to address the crucial human rights issues around our supply chains and to strengthen our due diligence. However, child labour in cocoa growing communities remains a significant issue, and we’re determined to go further to meet the challenge.
“I am so pleased that we are extending our partnership with Save the Children with a particular focus on prevention to grow our impact on this issue. That way we can help drive meaningful long term change, not only in our direct supply chain but also beyond.”