How can we shift the cocoa industry? This season, we took time to reflect: where are we seeing signs of progress – big or small – and where must we push harder to accelerate change? What do we need to do – and what does the industry need to do – to drive meaningful change? At the most fundamental level, we believe that to make meaningful progress, responsible purchasing practices – which we embody through the 5 Sourcing Principles – must be adopted across the entire cocoa supply chain and across all beans sourced. Not just by us and our Mission Allies (the companies that have committed some or all of their cocoa to be sourced via Tony’s Open Chain), but all cocoa-sourcing companies. These principles are the heart of our strategy and should form the baseline for how we act as an industry: traceability, paying a higher price, the long term, supporting strong farmers, and improving quality and productivity. Unless these principles are fully integrated, covering every partner cooperative and every cocoa farmer, we risk creating isolated and temporary improvements rather than a systemic shift. How can we shift the industry…faster? The short answer is: together. Increasing the speed and scale at which we can drive tangible change on the ground requires increasing the volume of cocoa sourced according to the 5 Sourcing Principles. Why? Because higher cocoa volumes translate into deeper investment in farmers’ livelihoods and stronger partner cooperative relationships. They also ensure a wider reach: more cocoa-growing families and farms covered by the Child Labour Monitoring and Remediation System (CLMRS) and deforestation prevention, and the ability to build an enabling environment, ensuring faster progress on the ground. And the only way to do so as an industry is together. That’s why we are called Tony’s Open Chain: we were created to enable collective action together with other cocoa-sourcing companies. We know we don’t have all the answers, and we’re always open to learning from peers, their insights, and best practices across the industry. Anyone can join the commitment to source their cocoa in accordance with the 5 Sourcing Principles.
But we are operating in an increasingly challenging environment: climate change is harming cocoa yields in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana and threatening farmer livelihoods just when investment is most needed. Cocoa scarcity has driven prices higher, and cocoa-sourcing companies, including our Mission Allies, are facing real financial pressure and supply chain uncertainty. Consumers, meanwhile, are facing higher chocolate prices. While it’s understandable that companies may want to tread cautiously in uncertain conditions, these challenges are not a reason to pause our efforts. On the contrary, now is the time to act – by working together, adapting and investing in solutions, we can help secure the future of cocoa and support those most affected.
A higher price
Strong farmers
Traceability
The long term
Quality & productivity
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Ending exploitation in cocoa together
Living income
Climate, environment & productivity
Human rights
Governance & finances
Interesting appendices
Scaling for change
Introduction
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