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Hershey Is Committed To Drive ‘Cocoa For Good’


10/27/2020

Here is what Hershey’s commitment to create a sustainable cocoa supply chain in West Africa involve.


Dailycsr.com – 27 October 2020 – Almost 70% of the global cocoa’s requirements are supplied from West Africa, where cocoa plays a critical while often the only source of income for “millions of smallholder farming families”. But the unfortunately reality of these communities is that they are dealing with “environmental and economic difficulties” whereby resulting in typical low incomes often “at or below the accepted poverty line”.
 
One of the reasons behind this sad plight is the lack of or minimal basic infrastructure along with poorly defined land-rights. Another problem is that “new cocoa production is frequently expanded” as additional land is taken up for cultivation instead of “increasing crop yields on existing farmland”. Given this scenario, often children remain at home helping in “cocoa activities on family farms” instead of receiving schooling. Therefore, the Head of Cocoa Sustainability at Hershey, Beatrice Moulianitaki said:
“We are committed to eradicating these practices and helping West African cocoa farming communities be sustainable and prosperous”.
 
How does Hershey aim to achieve this?
 
Firstly, it is through its deep commitment towards responsible sourcing of cocoa and pushing for systemic changes. Here is how the company is working to create a “truly sustainable cocoa supply chain”:
“The natural habitat in producing countries is protected and new cocoa demand is not met at the expense of the environment “Cocoa farmers can earn a decent living from growing cocoa “Children of cocoa farmers can grow into their future potential”
 
Moreover, Here are some of the focus areas under Hershey’s sustainable cocoa strategy is called “Cocoa For Good”:
“Long-term and comprehensive investment in the most vulnerable cocoa-farming communities to build their capability and resilience, encourage women to share their voice, provide increased opportunities for young people, and diversify incomes to increase quality of life. “Partnering with our suppliers to drive improvements throughout the entire supply chain through our commitment to buy only 100% certified and sustainable cocoa and to direct-source 100% of our cocoa in high-risk areas by 2025, building long-term relationships with farmer groups and driving traceability to halt deforestation. “Co-creating Public-Private Partnerships between governments, companies, civil society to drive systematic change at a sector-wide level strengthening rural, national and regional policies and economies”.
 
What are the initiatives under Cocoa For Good?
Nourishing Children Empowering Youth Helping Communities Prosper Preserving Ecosystems
 
Here are some glimpses from Hershey’s 2020 results:
“By January 2020 we met our target we announced in 2012: our commitment to source 100% certified and sustainable cocoa by 2020. Through certification, we directly support higher incomes for farmers and improve labor and environmental standards. Certification also makes cocoa traceable from certified farmers to the 1st purchase point, the farmer groups. “In early 2020, we publicly shared who our suppliers are, as well the origins and farmer groups we directly source from. We now use satellite mapping of farms and digital data collection to increase the quality of our data and allow for data-driven monitoring and decision making. “In spring 2020, we announced expansion of our direct-sourcing supply chain. This will make Hershey’s cocoa from West Africa traceable from certified farmers and farmer groups into Hershey’s supply chain, giving Hershey a clear line of sight into where all its cocoa from West Africa is grown and how it is produced. Through direct, intensified and long-term relationships with farmer groups, these groups will gain more security. It will also allow us to implement by 2025 an active child labor monitoring and remediation (CLMRS) across all our cooperatives in Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana. “Additionally, with education and nutrition at the core of The Hershey Company, we have also committed to invest $3,000,000 in two new partnerships (2020-2030) in Cote d’Ivoire: the Children Learning and Education Facility (CLEF) - reaching 5 million children with quality primary education – and the Early Learning and Nutrition program (ELAN) – reaching 1.3 million children in less than 5 years”.
 
 
 
References:
3blmedia.com

Tags : Children Nourishment Cocoa Sustainability Communities Economy Ecosystem Environment Income Preservation Responsible Consumption Responsible Production Responsible Sourcing Sustainable Supply Chain The Hershey Company West Africa Youth Empowerment smallholder farming families