Higher cocoa yields will help protect Cote d’Ivoire’s forests, new White Paper finds

As new research reveals that deforestation in the world’s largest cocoa-growing country could be far more worse than originally predicted, a White Paper published by Barry Callebaut looks at how to tackle productivity on cocoa farms to end the cycle of unsustainable practices. Read more

Swiss Platform for Sustainable Cocoa brings together industry actors in a bid to tackle deforestation

A conference involving The Platform for Sustainable Cocoa, the Soy and Palm Oil Network and the Coffee Interest Group was recently held in Bern Switzerland to develop new tougher measures for the conservation of tropical forests. Read more

‘The hard truth is that the old sustainability models are good but not good enough’ – Rainforest Alliance calls for a new vision to address global crises

The Rainforest Alliance Annual Report has called for a new strategic direction to address interconnected global crises as the organisation sets out its new vision for accelerating action to address the climate emergency, biodiversity loss, systemic poverty, and human rights issues. Read more

‘We really need to change how the world produces, sources, and consumes agricultural commodities – not just cocoa’

Few ecosystems are as important as rainforests, but with scientists claiming we are close to a tipping point and that a massive process of forest restoration is needed to cut carbon emissions to net zero by 2030, ConfectioneryNews spoke with Kerry Daroci, Cocoa Sector Lead at the Rainforest Alliance, to obtain an overview of how the chocolate industry is responding to the threat of its own existence: without cocoa trees, there is no product. Read more

Deforestation: what I’ve learned from 30 years of working in cocoa-growing landscapes in West Africa

I have spent close to 30 years working on the ground in West Africa alongside rural communities, including cocoa-growing communities. In that time, I have learned a lot about why deforestation happens in the first place and the most effective ways we can work with local communities to tackle it head-on. Read more