Major cocoa sustainability drive from Sucden and Mars due for Dominican Republic

A major five-year initiative between Sucden and Mars, Incorporated has been confirmed that is targeting low-carbon, climate resilient cocoa production in the Dominican Republic, reports Neill Barston.

As the companies noted, the venture aims to bring together innovation, science-based reductions, and farmer-centred approaches to drive meaningful greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions across the participating agricultural businesses in its supply chains.

With conventional cocoa crops facing considerable pressures in recent years, with a backdrop in West African producer nations of adverse weather conditions, crop disease and loss of land from illegal gold mining operations, manufacturers have looked at how such systemic issues can be resolved in their respective sustainability ventures.

According to the two companies, the latest joint programme will encourage participating farmers to adopt climate-smart agricultural practices such as use of improved planting materials, low carbon fertilisers, aerobic composting and other agroforestry practices which are aimed at helping enhance productivity and soil health, reduce GHG emissions, and increase yields for cocoa farmers.

Sucden’s technical partners will support the project’s design and monitoring through advanced modeling tools and field-based assessments to quantify emission reductions and measure long-term environmental impact.

Targeted action
In addition, over the next five years, the programme aims to help hundreds of farmers across priority regions in the Dominican Republic and Ecuador produce cocoa on 5,250 of hectares using improved agroforestry practices that align with Mars’ GHG reduction targets and Sucden’s commitment to regenerative supply chains.

“The world we want tomorrow starts with how we do business today, and we can only achieve our sustainability ambitions by working with like-minded value-chain partners. That’s why Mars is working with suppliers to help build a deforestation and conversion-free cocoa supply chain. This collaboration with Sucden aims to encourage farmers to implement practices in Latin America that can help increase their yields while reducing our supply chain emissions— will help deliver mutual benefits for farmers, suppliers and Mars.” said Pedro Amaral, Associate Director, Head of Cocoa Climate Sustainability. “Taking action to embed sustainability efforts through collaborations with suppliers like this one aligns with our vision to help create a more modern, inclusive, and sustainable cocoa ecosystem.”

“Addressing the climate challenges facing cocoa today demands coordinated action and specialised capabilities. Sucden brings deep on-the-ground experience in cocoa production systems, farmer engagement, and sustainability programme delivery — capabilities that are essential to implementing complex, multi-year climate initiatives.” said Charlotte Demuijnck, Sucden Global Cocoa Programme Manager.

“Through our strategic partnership with Mars, we aim to deliver robust, science-based interventions that support farmers, reduce emissions, and strengthen the long-term resilience of the cocoa supply chain in Ecuador and the Dominican Republic.”

Furthermore, as the initiative noted, as a global trader, the majority of Sucden’s carbon footprint lies in our supply chain, with cocoa production representing a significant share of our Scope 3 emissions.

The company added that the collaboration underlines a commitment to reducing emissions through climate-smart industry practices, which is anticipated to yield improved accuracy of data collection.