Nestlé is fully committed to achieving deforestation-free commodities by 2020. The company is strengthening transparency and traceability in its supply chain and is already using a combination of tools, including certification, supply chain mapping and satellite imagery. The Nestlé Cocoa & Forests Action Plan, alongside the disclosure of Nestlé’s cocoa suppliers in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire, will accelerate the company’s journey to stop deforestation.
Alexander von Maillot, Head of Confectionery Strategic Business Unit, Nestlé S.A., said: “Cocoa grown illegally in protected areas has no place in our supply chain. We are working to stop deforestation and the destruction of other natural habitats from our agricultural commodity supply chains, including cocoa. Addressing the issue of deforestation in cocoa is complex and is a shared responsibility. We welcome the Cocoa & Forests Initiative, which brings together all the relevant stakeholders and are determined to contribute to a sustainable cocoa sector where the protection of the environment is aligned with the social and economic development of cocoa farmers and producing countries.”
The Nestlé Cocoa & Forests Action Plan focuses on three pillars: forests protection and restoration; sustainable cocoa production and farmers’ livelihoods; and community engagement and social inclusion. It lays out a set of activities the company will implement over the next four years with an emphasis on the members of the cooperative of the Nestlé Cocoa Plan in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana. The Nestlé Cocoa Plan aims to improve the lives of cocoa farmers and the quality of their products.
- Completion of the mapping of all 87,000 farms that are part of the Nestlé Cocoa Plan and strengthening of cocoa beans traceability systems by 2019;
- Implementation of an exclusion process for farmers who grow cocoa in protected areas from Nestlé’s supply chain by 2020;
- Sensitization of 38,000 farmers on forest law enforcement in place in both countries as well as the importance of protecting forests by 2022;
- Distribution and planting of 2,8 million shade trees by 2022;
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Carrying out two agroforestry pilots, smart integration of trees into farming systems by 2022;
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Training 70,000 farmers on good agricultural practices, including the deployment of advanced technology and agricultural methods to increase productivity (more cocoa on less land);
- Promotion of the financial inclusion of at least 8,700 farmers by supporting the creation of village savings and loans associations by 2022;
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Distribution of 5,000 improved cookstoves by 2021 to reduce pressure on forests and improve the community’s health.
Nestlé will further strengthen its Cocoa & Forests Action Plan in the course of 2019 as the two governments are expected to establish boundary maps for the forests, to revise land use policies and regulations and to release forest and land use data.
Nestlé will also adopt the plan by taking into account the learnings from these pilot projects. The company will organize a number of consultations with the cocoa growing communities to ensure their active participation in implementing this action plan.