Latest industry chocolate scorecard names sector’s most sustainable and transparent performers
Cocoa drying in Ghana (pic Tony's Chocolonely)
The sixth annual chocolate scorecard rating confectionery businesses for their ethical sourcing and transparency of operating has named Tony’s Chocolonely, Ritter Sport, Nestlé and Mars Wrigley as among the most sustainable companies in the sector, writes Neill Barston.
Conducted by Australian-based BE Slavery Free, the latest analysis of the industry comes as it faces considerable pressures from comparatively high cocoa prices that topped $12,000 a tonne in January (effectively four times higher than the previous year), as well as wider inflationary pressures from supply chain challenges due to climate issues and turbulent global economies.
As the not for profit organisation behind the study noted, it rated companies on traceability and transparency across their entire operations, whether they pay farmers a living income, efforts to prevent the use of child labour, action on climate and deforestation, how they support agroforestry, and eliminating the use of harmful pesticides.
The 2025 chocolate scorecard awarded Dutch company Tony’s Chocolonely the good egg award for excellence and transparency, US chocolate manufacturer Beyond Good, using beans from Madagascar and Uganda, received the Good Egg Award for smaller companies. Meanwhile, Swiss retailer Coop received the Good Egg Award for retailers, and Mars received the Gender Award for policies and programs to empower women.
One of the most concerning findings from this year’s study was that despite industry pledges to raise farmer pay, there is little evidence that farmers are actually being lifted out of poverty and that their children still work in the supply chain with exposure to chemicals. The last official data delivered in the past couple of years has noted that some 1.5 million children in Ghana and Ivory Coast remain exposed to the worst forms of labour, with minors taking on tasks that should be restricted to adult workers.
As the non profit group asserted, “while continued profits from the sector continue to reside with CEOs and shareholder dividends, the risk for addressing these issues sits with the farmers,” which has reportedly prompted farmers unions in Ivory Coast this month to call for greater independence from state control of the cocoa sector – which they argue could be controlled more effectively under their own direct ownership.
The top 15 companies for the critical category of most transparent and traceable included top five placings for Halba, Cemoi, Ritter Sport and Nestle, with other major groups including Lindt, Valrhona, Mars and Ferrero included in those ratings. However, other major businesses including Barry Callebaut, Cargill, Unilever and Godiva, fell lower in the rankings.
Lowest ranked were Kellanova, Krueger for not providing data, while other companies performed poorly including Blommer (rated 24%), Lotte, (21%), and Daito Cacao (gaining just 10%) on the scorecard.
Major industry price hikes
The latest scorecard ratings come with Easter on the horizon, where companies and retailers have passed on the ingredients cost hikes to consumers at unprecedented levels. Some of the highest rises including Cadbury’s Creme Eggs, which have reportedly gone up from £1.65 in the UK five years ago, to £3.50 for a pack of five, representing a rise of 112%. As Confectionery Production has also reported, the issue of shrinkflation has continued, as not only have prices gone up notably for many brands over the past year, product size has also reduced, which has attracted considerable criticism from shoppers over value for money.
Speaking on the results of the scorecard, Fuzz Kitto, Co Director at Be Slavery Free, said: “Consumers are being asked to swallow record chocolate prices, and shrinking products. The least they expect is chocolate free from slavery. The Chocolate Scorecard will help shoppers make smart purchases this Easter. Chocolate companies love to talk about policies and commitments, but 25 years since they promised to eliminate child labour from the supply chain, it’s time to stop ‘cocoa washing’ and innovate more effective action.”
Among large chocolate companies, Tony’s Chocolonely scored highest, receiving the Chocolate Scorecard’s Good Egg award. Joke Aerts, Head of Credible Scaling at Tony’s Open Chain, who spoke at our 2024 edition of the World Confectionery Conference in Brussels, said: “At Tony’s Chocolonely, transparency isn’t just a value—it’s a necessity for driving real change in the cocoa industry. The Chocolate Scorecard plays a crucial role in holding the industry accountable by ensuring companies report on the same key indicators, creating a level playing field for meaningful progress. We are proud to participate and honored to have received the Green Egg Award for the 6th consecutive time. The Scorecard not only motivates us to continuously improve but also pushes the entire industry to step up. We hope it inspires others to take action towards a truly fair and transparent cocoa supply chain.”
For its part, Mars Wrigley, behind brands including Mars Bars, Snickers, Twix, Malteasers and Milky Way, was recognised for its work supporting gender equality. Harper McConnell, Global Vice President-Cocoa Sustainability at Mars Wrigley, commented: “At Mars we understand that advancing gender equality is vital to helping to improve the cocoa sector. Empowering women farmers helps strengthen cocoa-growing communities while helping to increase household incomes and preserve forests. We’re proud of efforts like our long-term collaboration with CARE on the Women for Change program which, as of 2024, reached 101,000 members, 75% of whom are women, and resulted in $20M in total savings and credits and $13M in loans.”
As Be Slavery Free observed, there was also an award for “Bad Egg,” which was allotted to Mondelēz, producers of Cadbury, Toblerone, Green&Black, Oreo, and Daim, reportedly due to its lack of transparency after failing to share any details. When they participated in the 5th Edition of the scorecard they ranked 25th out of 38 large companies. While the company did not provide data for the study, it has previously placed significant resources into its ongoing Cocoa Life scheme designed to support supplier communities.
Overall, this year’s findings have shown improvements in transparency across the industry, with 82% of companies sharing data on child labour, compared to 45% in 2023. The industry reports the number of children experiencing hazardous labour conditions is slightly down, but experts warn they are still only finding less than half of actual cases.
There is some progress on the use of pesticides, however not sufficient to address the chronic exposure of children to harmful chemicals. The number of child labourers exposed to harmful pesticides tripled over 5 years to almost one in three, along with an increase in injuries, health impacts, and level of care needed. It is believed to be dangerous for pregnant mothers.
On deforestation, more than a third of cocoa bought by companies this year comes from deforested or unknown sources. Companies report that 84% of farmers in their supply chain are not earning a living income, or their income is unknown. A living income is the minimum amount needed to have the capacity to cover basic necessities.
