Mondelēz pledges to reduce emissions in cocoa production

Mondelēz International has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Forestry Commission of Ghana, Ghana Cocoa Board and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), to reduce emissions in its cocoa supply chain across the country.

Through Cocoa Life, Mondelēz International’s signature sustainable cocoa sourcing programme, the company will take a leading role in implementing projects to deliver the Ghana Cocoa Forest REDD+ Programme (GCFRP) which aims at tackling deforestation and forest degradation.

“Deforestation makes up the largest part of our carbon footprint, which is why it’s so important for us to address this issue head on,” says Hubert Weber, executive vice president and president of Europe at Mondelēz International. “Through this collaboration, we can be even more efficient in safeguarding the environment and helping cocoa farmers become resilient against climate change.”

The partnership fits with the commitment the company made by signing the Cocoa & Forests Initiative Framework for Action at COP23.

As one of the largest cocoa-producing countries, Ghana supplies about 20% of the world’s cocoa. According to the GCFRP, Ghana also has one of the highest deforestation rates in Africa at 3.2% per annum. This is primarily due to unsustainable expansion of cocoa and other agricultural crops.

Mondelēz is contributing $5 million over five years to the GCFRP, which aims to significantly reduce the high rate of deforestation and forest degradation, as well as their associated greenhouse carbon emissions, from cocoa farming within Ghana’s High Forest Zone.

Together with these partners, Mondelēz International will execute an action plan in key Hotspot Intervention Areas, focusing on: mapping all land uses, including cocoa farms; implementing climate smart cocoa practices to increase yields and sustainability; improving access to finance to foster good practices by farmers and communities; legislative and policy reform to support program execution; and coordination and measurement, reporting and verification.

“The Ghana government is promoting public-private partnerships, which are critical for sustainable economic growth in all sectors, including the forestry sector,” says John Peter Amewu, Minister for Lands and Natural Resources in Ghana and signatory of the Cocoa & Forests Initiative. “It is, therefore, encouraging that Mondelēz International’s Cocoa Life programme is partnering with government to implement an integrated landscape approach to sustainable cocoa production and forest management.”

Related content

Leave a reply

Confectionery Production