In 2011, Ferrero made a commitment to source 100% sustainable cocoa beans via independently managed standards by 2020 to help improve cocoa farmers’ living conditions and foster sustainable practices. In 2019, the company broadened the scope of this target to include the chocolate sourced from third parties. Ferrero is proud to confirm that it has achieved this goal.
By 2020, the company had achieved their target of 100% sustainable cocoa sourced through independently managed standards, progress towards reaching 100% supply chain traceability in coca, and a renewed strategic partnership with Save the Children through a €8 million project to further scale and strengthen activities to protect children.
In practice, this means that Ferrero sources sustainable cocoa through leading certification bodies and other independently managed standards such as Rainforest Alliance (UTZ), Fairtrade, and Cocoa Horizons. This ensures that the company can optimally benefit from their different strengths, enriching its overarching cocoa sustainability strategy, which continues to develop.
In the 2019/20 crop season, Ferrero managed to trace over 95% 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 Labour 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 being mainly women in getting access to small loans for entrepreneurial activities.
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.