Nestle is taking further action to combat the deforestation caused by cocoa farming in Ivory Coast. In its efforts, the company has now brought cocoa trading companies on board.
Ivory Coast is the largest cocoa producer in the world, accounting for 40 percent of the global market.
In the 1960s, the country had 16 million hectares of forest, but this number has decreased to less than three million, primarily due to cocoa plantations.
In 2020, Nestle launched a project aimed at restoring and protecting the Cavally Forest in southwest Ivory Coast. This forest, covering over 67,000 hectares, is one of the last remaining dense forests in the country but is threatened by deforestation linked to the cocoa industry and illegal gold panning.
The project, a partnership between Nestle, the Ivorian government, and the Earthworm Foundation, has seen significant progress in its first phase. It has led to the natural regeneration of 7,000 hectares and the reforestation of almost 1,500 hectares, resulting in a significant reduction in deforestation.
Significant Collaboration
For its second three-year phase, Nestle has partnered with the Swiss trading company Cocoasource and the French firm Touton. These companies work directly with cocoa and rubber cooperatives in the affected area, and their involvement aims to strengthen community resilience and improve transparency and traceability in the cocoa and rubber supply chain. The project has a budget of four million Swiss francs ($4.45 million).
Touton, known for trading cocoa, coffee, vanilla, and spices, joined the project because of the successful outcomes of the first phase. According to Joseph Larrose, Deputy Managing Director of Touton, protecting the forest is crucial for the cocoa industry’s sustainability as it ensures access to the necessary resources.
Julian Oram, the senior director for Africa at the NGO Mighty Earth, commended Nestle’s initiative as a valuable effort to address deforestation. However, he emphasized the importance of ensuring that companies like Nestle incorporate fair cocoa purchasing practices alongside sustainability programs.
Concerns over Imported Deforestation
The WWF, a global conservationist group, strongly criticizes what it refers to as “imported deforestation.” Switzerland is a significant consumer of various raw materials, including cocoa, coconuts, coffee, and palm oil. The consumption of these commodities requires more land than Switzerland’s own forests. According to the WWF, 54 percent of Switzerland’s cocoa imports come from countries with a high risk of deforestation.
In mid-April, the European Parliament implemented a regulation prohibiting the import of products, such as cocoa
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