Sustainable Cocoa

Here are several links to websites and basic documents attesting the long-term commitment of the cocoa and chocolate industry to the social and economic development of cocoa farming communities and the welfare of cocoa workers.

The European Chocolate & Cocoa Industry committed to cocoa sustainability

The European cocoa and chocolate industry has a long-term commitment to the social and economic development of cocoa farming communities.

There are 2 million cocoa farms in West Africa, which supply 70% of the world’s cocoa. We have a number of programmes in place to improve working conditions and raise standards of employment practices and to ensure sustainable development of this agricultural sector.

One of our aims is to ensure that children are not harmed in the process of growing or harvesting of the cocoa crop.

We will continue to invest resources in programmes based on partnerships with governments and non-government organisations to make a difference at a local community level. Our commitment is for the long term.

We believe that human trafficking is unacceptable in any form. We are firmly committed to creating a supply chain free from the worst forms of child labour and forced labour.

For more information, we invite you to visit this website dedicated to cocoa farming and sustainability.

Responsible Cocoa Growing

Helping children, families, communities

Responsible Labor Practices in Cocoa Farming

The chocolate and cocoa industry is working to make a better life for cocoa farming families worldwide.  This work includes a partnership with West African governments, NGOs and labour experts to implement “certification” for cocoa farming labour practices – as part of a broader ongoing effort to promote economic and social development in cocoa farming communities.

Certification for cocoa farming labour practices will ensure that cocoa is grown using responsible labor practices – through a system of reporting and action. 

Regular certification reports, issued by West African governments, provide a thorough, transparent view of labour conditions on cocoa farms.  Programs to help children and cocoa farming families address the issues raised in the certification reports – and drive continual improvement.  A robust, independent verification component will ensure the integrity of the certification process.

In 2007, both the governments of the Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) and Ghana released their first certification reports.  The reports, based on in-person visits by trained surveyors to hundreds of cocoa farms, provide an honest, detailed assessment of the challenges facing cocoa farming communities – and the issues that must be addressed.

By July of 2008, both countries will have the certification process in place across an area that represents more than 50 percent of their respective nation’s cocoa production.

How does certification support the goals of the Harkin-Engel Protocol?

The Protocol’s objective is clear: cocoa beans and the products derived from them should be grown in a way that meets internationally accepted labour standards. 

The Protocol also establishes several “guiding principles.”  Partnerships are essential.  Problem solving must be credible and effective – to fashion a long-term solution.  And, the entire effort must be sustainable.

Certification for cocoa farming continually reduces instances of the worst forms of child labour and forced adult labour – through an ongoing system of reporting and corrective action.  By driving continual improvement, certification will ensure that cocoa beans are grown in a manner that complies with international labour standards.

It does so through partnerships – with West African governments, NGOs, organized labour and other stakeholders.  It takes a credible approach that works within the realities of cocoa farming – and is achievable.  And, it is a sustainable approach that can and will endure.

Joint Statement from US Senator Tom Harkin, Representative Eliot Engel and the Chocolate and Cocoa Industry on the Implementation of the Harkin-Engel Protocol

WASHINGTON, DC, USA (June 16, 2008) - In September 2001, industry representatives signed an agreement, today known as the “Harkin-Engel Protocol,” developed in partnership with U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) and U.S. Representative Eliot Engel (D-NY). The agreement laid out a series of steps aimed at eliminating the worst forms of child labour and forced adult labour from cocoa growing in West Africa. An unprecedented effort, the Protocol marked the first time that an entire industry stepped forward and worked with governments, civil society and other stakeholders to address the worst forms of child labour and forced adult labour in its supply chain. Read the full statement.

To learn more about certification, click on any of the links below:

• What is certification?
• History, Background
• Joint Statement from US Senator Tom Harkin, Representative Eliot Engel, and the Chocolate and Cocoa Industry on the Implementation of the Harkin-Engel Protocol
• Testimony Before the US Department of Labor on Progress to Improve Labor Practices - May 2008: Written Testimony - Oral Testimony
• Letter from Sen. Harkin and Rep. Engel Assessing Progress to Date
• Chocolate/Cocoa Industry Information on Financial Support for Responsible Cocoa Farming
• Response to Second Annual Report on "Public and Private Initiatives to Eliminate the Worst Forms of Child Labor in the Cocoa Sector in Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana" by the Payson Center at Tulane Univerity
  
  

2008 Certification Report

On June 27, 2008 , the Government of Ghana and the Government of Cote d’Ivoire released their first scale-up certification reports. The reports reflects the work of a broad group of organizations, which together have developed a credible means of measuring labor conditions on cocoa farms that will help children, families and communities.

The reports also reflects a serious commitment on the part of both the governments of Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana to tackle labor issues on cocoa farms – and to share honest, credible data in an open, transparent manner.

Read the chocolate/cocoa industry’s statement on the Ghana report.

Visit the Ghana National Programme for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour in Cocoa website to read the report.

Read the chocolate/cocoa industry's statement on the Cote d'Ivoire report.

Visit the Cote d'Ivoire Child Labour Monitoring System website to read the report.

Other websites

World Cocoa Foundation

International Cocoa Initiative

International Cocoa Organisation (ICCO)

Roundtable for a sustainable cocoa economy

Other Interesting Material

MAKING PROGRESS LEARNING LESSONS - A Programme Evaluation - AN INDEPENDENT EVALUATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL COCOA INITIATIVE’S PROGRAMME IN GHANA (June 2009)