Consumer confidence

The context

Product sustainability is becoming an increasing driver for consumers who see their product choices as a reflection of who they are and what they value. Consumers want to see the issues they care about acknowledged in the brands they buy.

We believe that a prerequisite for making real progress on sustainability is ensuring maximum transparency and traceability across the cocoa supply chain. The proliferation of innovative and cost-effective technological solutions is accelerating traceability, real-time data collection and financial transparency. It also allows for greater transparency on how cocoa is grown and sourced from farmers.

As the quality of this information improves, consumers have greater confidence, and demand for sustainable cocoa goes up. This cycle will help hold everyone to a higher standard and move our industry forward.

Our target

• 100% farmer-to-plant traceability in our direct supply chain
• 100% of chocolate ingredients sourced in line with our sustainability code of conduct

Our Consumer Confidence Strategic Action Plan provides a roadmap towards achieving our goal, and sets the framework for how we will monitor and report on our progress.

How are we achieving our goal?

Traceability is key to achieving a more transparent cocoa supply chain. The insights that come from traceability allow us to target our interventions at origin, informing the work we do with farmers and communities to further strengthen the cocoa supply chain.

To achieve greater transparency, we start at the beginning of the cocoa value chain, because this is where we believe we are uniquely placed to have the most impact.

First mile traceability is a fundamental tool to understand the circumstances under which cocoa was produced. It allows us to monitor and assess our supply chain, and provides evidence and reliability to our sustainability claims.

To ensure traceability, we electronically track cocoa bags to know which farm they come from, while also fostering financial transparency through other Cargill Cocoa Promise activities. By providing access to mobile banking, for instance, smallholder farmers are able to receive their premium payments quickly and safely, in a manner that can be easily verified.

Once we collect data and we measure the effectiveness of our sustainability interventions, we make sure to report on our progress in a clear and transparent manner, enabling our customers to verify where their money is invested and to assess their impact.

We strongly believe in the value of independent verification. We collaborate with third-party certification organizations that provide internationally recognized and independent standards for sustainable production. This increases consumer confidence in purchasing chocolate products made with the cocoa we buy.

Our results

• We have mapped 151,558 farmers (72%) in our direct supply chain.
• We have achieved 100% traceability of our direct supply chain in Ghana and 70% in Côte d’Ivoire.
• 43% of our global cocoa volume is third-party certified as sustainable.
• 100% of our bean purchased in Ghana are paid via digital payments, with no cash transactions involved.
• Our Cargill Cocoa Promise Sourcing Partner Network Map displays the 128 cooperatives in Côte d’Ivoire and the 7 buying stations in Ghana belonging to our direct sourcing network.