Cocoa & Forests Initiative (CFI)
Cocoa & Forests Initiative (CFI)
Deforestation of tropical rainforests is a major issue in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, which together produce nearly two-thirds of the world’s supply of cocoa. Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana respectively lost 26% and 9.3% of their primary forest between 2002-2020. With a significant portion of deforestation attributable to cocoa farming expansion, collective action to end cocoa-related deforestation was needed.
This is why, at the 2017 UN Climate Change Conference (COP 23), the governments of Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana together with leading chocolate and cocoa companies signed the Cocoa & Forests Initiative (CFI) Frameworks for Action, defining the core commitments and time-bound targets required for a deforestation-free and forest-positive cocoa supply chain.
Our key achievements in 2022
In 2022 we continued to scale up our activities with partners to create tangible impact on the ground, while also advocating for policies to make sustainable chocolate the norm. Our sustainability efforts rely heavily on Barry Callebaut's people on the ground. Over 1,600 colleagues in cocoa-origin countries give us a unique pool of expertise.
An example is our intensified agroforestry approach we launched last year, with a focus on long-term success through training, extended monitoring and payment for ecosystem services (PES). We also continued to scale both on- and off-farm restoration, via the distribution of seedlings and native trees.
To tackle deforestation, farmer poverty must also be addressed. Through our Farm Services business, we initiated programs to support farmers with subsidized soil inputs and paid labor teams, improving cocoa farmers' productivity on existing farm land to prevent further deforestation. We have also further improved our deforestation alert system.
All activities that address both our CFI and Forever Chocolate targets.
Our CFI 2.0 Action Plan (2023-2025)
Barry Callebaut’s CFI 2.0 Action Plan lists the activities we are undertaking, many of which are supported technically and/or financially by our customers and partners, to fulfill both our CFI commitments and contribute to our Forever Chocolate goal of becoming forest positive by 2025.
Our Action Plan highlights that, beyond our efforts towards full traceability, we aim to significantly scale our Agroforestry Program. The Program encompasses Payment for Ecosystem Services, as well as additional efforts towards awareness raising on forest conservation and related regulatory frameworks. Focus will also be placed on scaling our support to farmer communities through financial and technical assistance (e.g. VSLAs). Our approach towards landscape-level collective action for forest conservation and restoration is currently under design, along with our program to monitor deforestation within sourcing areas. These will be at the heart of our approach toward addressing deforestation by 2025.
Through our CFI 2.0 Action plans, we will continue to work with the governments of Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, our industry partners and other stakeholders to protect and restore forests, support sustainable cocoa production and thriving communities, and build a forest-positive future.
