Carbon test

Land Use Change (LUC) refers to emissions related to deforestation. LUC emissions of cocoa are typically the highest contributor to the climate impact of a chocolate recipe. Following the GHG Protocol, there are different ways to calculate LUC, referred to as statistical LUC (sLUC, based on trade statistics and national forest extent, available from different databases) and direct LUC (dLUC, based on polygon mapping and satellite imagery). Typically, companies with limited or no traceability to farm level apply sLUC approaches, whereas dLUC is used for fully traceable cases. The two approaches often yield very different results and should not be compared against each other. When using this calculator, it is thus important to apply the LUC approach that is consistent with your organization’s overall footprinting. Currently, for most companies, sLUC is the appropriate metric and is thus our default setting. Barry Callebaut has been following a dLUC calculation consistently since 2019 in its public reporting. For more information please refer to the Greenhouse Gas Protocol: https://ghgprotocol.org/land-sector-and-removals-guidance