“100% sustainably sourced cocoa,” says the sign on the stand promoting Cadbury, a popular chocolate brand of Mondelez International. Many chocolate brands draw on similar language to promote their products— “ethically sourced”, and “sustainable cocoa”—but are these claims verified? Chocolate (porky) pie, anyone? Let’s look at the case of Cadbury’s parent company, Mondelez. Last year, […]
Category: Supply Chain
Why chocolate companies must go beyond certified cocoa
Our community often asks us how to shop ethically. Seeing a recognizable certification logo on a chocolate treat could put your mind at ease when shopping: cocoa certified by the most popular schemes—Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance, or organic—is usually the preferred option for those of us mindful of the social and environmental impacts of the products […]
Does it do what it says on the tin?
This is the republication of the foreword to the report published by Human Rights at Sea entitled “Does it Do what it says on the Tin? Fisheries and Aquaculture Certification, Standards and Ratings Ecosystem: An Independent Review 1.0” available here. As consumers we are led to believe we hold the power to ensure the goods […]
Chocolate companies must pay a living income price for cocoa, says 2022 Cocoa Barometer
Sustainable chocolate won’t become a reality until companies start paying a living income price for cocoa, according to the 2022 Cocoa Barometer. The biennial report, developed by the VOICE Network, which Freedom United is part of, shows that cocoa production continues to cause major social and environmental harm and that current efforts to tackle core […]
E.U. Due Diligence: We’re running out of time, but this could be a game changer
Photo credit: Philip Reynaers / Photonews / Justice is Everybody’s Business European leaders are deciding on game-changing rules to stop big business from getting away with exploiting people and destroying the planet. But big business is doing everything it can to keep getting its way. As part of the Justice is Everybody’s Business campaign, we’re calling on you […]
Open Letter to CBP on Trade Data Transparency
This week, the news broke that a group of major U.S. businesses, including Walmart, General Motors and Intel, as part of the Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee (COAC), sent a proposal to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) requesting key import data not be publicly disclosed. The following is a joint open letter to […]
Eight myths keeping cocoa farmers in poverty
Recent years have seen important developments on the topic of living income for cocoa farmers, and yet, poverty is still a daily reality for virtually all cocoa farmer families in West Africa. If we want to tackle child labor, deforestation and other social and environmental harms associated with the production of cocoa, we must […]
EU: Tip the scales to put people and the planet before profits
Image credit: Philip Reynaers / Photonews / Justice is Everybody’s Business Time is up for companies profiting from modern slavery and environmental destruction in their global value chains. The E.U. is preparing a new due diligence law, and together with 100 other civil society and trade union organizations, the Freedom United community is mobilizing to […]
Anti-slavery and a human rights-centered just transition
The climate crisis is here, and people are feeling the consequences now: water shortages across Europe; wildfires in Spain, Portugal, England, and California; devastating floods in South Korea; and the Horn of Africa continues to face the worst drought in over 40 years. This crisis and climate-induced events over the last decade have prompted emergency […]
Climate and cocoa: why an anti-modern slavery movement is talking about the environment
At the time of writing, almost 180,000 people within the Freedom United community are calling for change from major chocolate companies. Those changes include a call for an end to deforestation and a rapid reduction of pesticide usage. So why is an anti-modern slavery community pushing for improved environmental protection policies in the cocoa sector? […]