Hard to conceive? Impossible to achieve?
Half heartened attempts won’t eradicate, let alone reduce slavery, which is a direct result of poverty. Corporate avarice and a fantastic ability to ignore what we cannot witness first-hand have allowed the rot to settle in.
Why are we still talking about slavery in 2021?
In an age of heightened rhetoric around environmental and social consciousness with a need for a balanced lifestyle, chocolate buyers are evermore demanding with regard to the quality and sustainability in its supply chain. Yet concurrently, they are being fed images of genteel folks, engaged in ostentatious displays of refinedness and well-being, thereby bestowing chocolate a benign air of fine living. Some of the iconic ads that come to mind are Lindt “Do you dream in chocolate?”, Ferrero Rocher – “The Ambassador”, Bounty – “The Taste Of Paradise or Cadbury’s – “Flake in a bathtub”.
But the dark reality on the ground cannot be further from what is portrayed above. It is disheartening to acknowledge the continued chasm between money invested, time spent and results achieved. Newsreels are still being dominated by large chocolate firms being dragged to courts for failing to eliminate undeclared practices, notably child labour, from their supply chains. Yet in the larger court of public opinion, they seem to escape admonishment and immediate sanction as the sector continues to pay lip service to the problems on the ground.
In an age of heightened rhetoric around environmental and social consciousness with a need for a balanced lifestyle, chocolate buyers are evermore demanding with regard to the quality and sustainability in its supply chain.
So after decades of initiatives, we have failed to deliver on our promise of ethics and justice. Is it due to a lack of resources? Is it political or does the status-quo suit year-end results?
It’s about the bottom-line…
In 2019, the world’s largest cocoa producer, Ivory Coast, generated more than 3 billion USD in exports, followed by Ghana (almost 2 billion USD). The largest importer was the Netherlands with more than 2.2 billion USD, while Germany is the biggest exporter of chocolate products (more than 4 billion USD). These jaw-dropping numbers are evermore stark in their disparity, knowing that farmers receive less than 6 percent of the overall revenue. The retailers at 44% and manufacturers at 35% make up for the largest chunks. Even marketing, at over 4%, costs almost as much as what farmers make!
Unless we are able to dramatically unravel the disequilibrium that gangrenes the sector above mentioned, not much can be achieved. Half heartened attempts won’t eradicate, let alone reduce slavery, which is a direct result of poverty. Corporate avarice and a fantastic ability to ignore what we cannot witness first-hand have allowed the rot to settle in.
What can we do about it?
“Certified is NOT sustainable”
Large firms continue to invest substantial resources into sustainability programs. Mars will invest upwards of 1 billion USD, while Mondelez has a 400 million USD program. These companies procure their “certified” cocoa from cooperatives that in turn rely on large-scale adhesion of farmers. Rampant financial mismanagement and opaque functioning render these structures unreliable and the veracity of their certification doubtful.
“Certification labels DON’T suffice”
Initially, players like FAIRTRADE, UTZ and RAINFOREST had a monopoly over the certification process. Customers took refuge in the idea that these labels vouched for justice and fairness within the supply chain. However, this trend is on a downward spiral with the advent of in-house labels. True monitoring and accountability can only be achieved when processes are handled from within.
“Bean-To-Bar is NOT the answ