At Mars Wrigley, through our Cocoa for Generations strategy(Opens a new window), and as part of our Responsible Cocoa program, we are working towards a more modern, inclusive, and sustainable cocoa supply chain for future generations, one where human rights are respected, the environment is protected and cocoa communities can thrive. We cannot do this work alone.
The progress and impact needed to achieve real and meaningful change requires transformational, holistic and collaborative solutions to the multiple challenges we face in the cocoa sector. By working with governments, suppliers, farmers and farmer organizations, civil society organizations, and other stakeholders, we can achieve more impactful and lasting results. Today, we are reflecting on our commitments to date in supporting the planet and championing the people who rely on it.
Achieving a deforestation- and conversion-free supply chain for 100% of the cocoa we source by 2025 is the single largest and most significant first step we can take as a company towards delivering on our global climate(Opens a new window) ambition.
Our commitment to the Cocoa & Forests Initiative (CFI)(Opens a new window) is one example of our dedication to safeguarding forests(Opens a new window) in the regions where we source cocoa, a vital component in 29 of our chocolate brands. In 2018, we embarked on a collective journey to make a positive impact on the environment and communities in Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana alongside their governments and over 30 cocoa and chocolate companies. We started by launching country-level action plans aligned with the three pillars of the Cocoa & Forests Initiative: forest protection and restoration, sustainable production and improvement of farmer livelihoods, and community engagement and social inclusion.
We are proud to announce the successful completion of our CFI1.0 targets, a testament to what can be achieved through strategic collaboration. However, our journey does not end there. To solidify our dedication, we have developed new action plans in partnership with our suppliers, outlining our activities and investments in the three pillars of CFI until 2025. Discover our CFI 1.0 Progress Report and CFI 2.0 Action Plans here(Opens a new window).
Being part of the CFI community-based agroforestry project in collaboration with Mars, SUCDEN and PUR increased my knowledge of agroforestry and empowered me to diversify my income. It shows that community-based initiatives can make a difference in sustainable cocoa cultivation and that financial incentives can encourage farmers to promote tree maintenance and sustainable agriculture.
Olga, Cocoa Farmer
Moreover, we are proud of the impact made on the ground in Indonesia through another collaboration with grower communities and relevant organizations. Together, with the Institute for Development Impact (I4DI) and under the USAID Global Development Alliance (GDA), we participated in the launch of the Advancing Cocoa Agroforestry Towards Income, Value, and Environmental Sustainability (ACTIVE) program.
Through fostering climate-resilient practices, securing smallholder farmer income through activities like diversifying their farming practices, and preserving the supply of high-quality cocoa in key production areas, ACTIVE is shaping the future of cocoa.
We know the needs of one farmer vary from the next, which is why our pilot programs take a community-based approach. To date, ACTIVE has engaged with 600 cocoa farmers in Indonesia, both men and women, on agroforestry practices to strengthen biodiversity and improve production, collaboration to diversify operations and provide additional income streams, and peer-to-peer trainings to share learnings and best practices. We are on track to achieving our aspiration of 2,000 participants in 2023.
This is progress towards the program’s goal to increase income of participating farmers by 15% by the end of 2026, all while keeping farmers at the center of the solution to ensure the impact is sustainable for the farmer, the farm and the community.
We are incredibly inspired by the impact we have seen thus far under CFI1.0 and our participation in the ACTIVE program. We firmly believe that our unwavering commitment to sustainability and collaborative efforts across grower communities and the public and private sector can forge a brighter and more prosperous future for all. Together, we can create a more sustainable future for our planet and the people that rely on these natural ecosystems to thrive for generations to come.
