Chocolate maker Barry Callebaut AG delayed its date for having 100% sustainably sourced cocoa, part of a broader effort to improve bean traceability and eradicate child labor in its supply chain.
“We are extending the deadline for all our ingredients to be certified or verified to 2030, in order for them to also be traceable to farm level,” a company spokesperson said. The previous target was 2025.
Barry Callebaut — a supplier to Nestle SA and Hershey Co. — made the announcement Wednesday as part of a plan to “sharpen” its sustainability goals.
Chocolate makers are under pressure to improve sustainability in their products amid consumer demand for greater accountability. In 2016, Barry Callebaut, which sources at least 60% of its cocoa from West Africa, launched its initiatives, including helping farmers out of poverty and combating global warming.
“It is clear that we cannot reach these targets on our own,” said Steven Retzlaff, the company’s president for global cocoa. For its strategy to become a reality, “we need public intervention to drive structural change beyond our direct supply chain.”
