Consumers care about their confectionery choices and opt for brands that align with their values. According to chocolate giant Mondelēz International’s State of Snacking 2024 report, as two-thirds of consumers are already basing their brand selections on their values, this creates opportunities for those with sustainability at their core.
Leading sustainability trends in confectionery have centred on increasing consciousness and reach throughout the various facets of the confectionery industry. Among brands' efforts are putting an end to problematic packaging, opting for energy-saving carbon offsets, upcycling ingredients and focusing on waste reduction, sourcing ingredients responsibly, and optimising ethical supply chain management.
With 2025 in sight, which signals we’re only five years from the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) deadline, we look at the latest sustainability initiatives in the global cocoa and sugar spaces.
Lotte teams up to launch first cocoa biochar pilot
South Korean chocolate leader Lotte has partnered with several companies operating in the confectionery supply chain – OFI, Fuji Oil Co and MC Agri Alliance – to launch its first cocoa biochar pilot in Ghana. The country is responsible for approximately 25% of the globe’s cocoa supply and is the second biggest producer worldwide, behind Côte d’Ivoire.
Amid the cocoa crisis of the past few years, which has seen Ghana’s cocoa output almost halve, the companies hope to introduce their joint cocoa biochar project in the 2024/2025 crop season. The companies have partnered to debut the regenerative agriculture practice in Dankwa County in the Central Province of Ghana. Together, they plan to monitor the biochar pilot’s impact on soil health and carbon reduction.
Biochar works by locking up the carbon removed from the atmosphere into soils. As a result, the regenerative agriculture method can help to improve soil health, notably its fertility and structure, helping to end erosion and the loss of soil nutrients into ground and surface waters. The biochar process also seeks to lower the carbon footprint associated with cocoa production.
“Together with Lotte and partners, we plan to implement a biochar pilot that aims to reduce carbon footprint of the cocoa crop and waste on the farm by using the residual cocoa pods,” says Andrew Brooks, global head of cocoa sustainability.
The country’s first cocoa biochar pilot uses discarded cocoa pod husks and places these into biochar cone machines to turn them into biochar through a combustion process. Rather than releasing carbon back into the atmosphere, the biochar locks in the carbon from the cocoa crop residues.
“Sustainable procuring of cocoa is one of our material business strategies,” says Keiji Miyano, executive officer of corporate strategy and sustainability at Lotte. “Recent crop failures in West Africa have underscored its importance. We are convinced this initiative can create a significant environmental impact through collaboration by cocoa-related companies in non-competitive areas.
Sustain-A-Bean seeks to transform cocoa-farming communities
With its focus on developing an innovative approach to sustainability in Ghana’s cocoa sector, Sustain-A-Bean strives to set a new benchmark for ethical trade and inclusive growth.
Sustain-A-Bean, a registered foundation in Accra, Ghana, strives to focus on purpose-driven leadership to create meaningful and lasting impacts across the country’s farming communities. The foundation is built on the philosophy of Sustaining a Being, which puts cocoa farmers and their communities’ wellbeing at the core of their efforts. The initiative pursues a holistic approach to cocoa production that addresses systemic inequalities by integrating fair-trade principles, agricultural innovations and community-focused development programmes.
“Our approach is rooted in the belief that sustainability is not just about the environment but about the people who sustain it,” says co-founder Jason Nana Yaw Mohan. “Farmers are the backbone of the cocoa industry, and Sustain-A-Bean ensures they have the tools, resources and opportunities to thrive,” adds Nana Yaw Mohan.
Sustain-A-Bean provides training, access to resources and leadership opportunities to contribute towards achieving economic equity and building resilient communities. It has also developed storytelling and theatre-based education programmes to reach and engage with local communities. The Little Chocolatiers series is an example of one of these projects that seeks to marry creativity with awareness to highlight sustainability and cultural heritage.
Recognising the challenges climate change presents to agriculture and cocoa farmers in Ghana, the foundation also aims to equip farmers with sustainable practices that balance increasing productivity and protecting biodiversity. Agroforestry, crop diversification and climate-smart farming are among these agricultural techniques.
“Businesses have the power to drive real change,” says Vanya Daryanani, co-founder of Sustain-A-Bean. “With Sustain-A-Bean, we’re offering a pathway to sustainable leadership – a model where profitability and purpose coexist seamlessly,” Daryanani adds.
Sugar Bill signed into law in Kenya
Designed to revitalise Kenya’s sugar industry, the country sees its Sugar Bill signed into law, bringing in key reforms aimed at growth and support for cane farmers.
Both legislative Houses in Kenya considered The Sugar Bill, National Assembly Bill No. 34 of 2022. The Bill was approved by the National Assembly and the Senate in October.
Now enacted into law, the Sugar Bill aims to provide a framework for regulating, developing and promoting the country’s sugar industry. It will reportedly seek to address increasing sugar production costs, decreasing land acreage under sugar, lack of markets, failure to control imports and exports, poor management of sugar companies, and lack of research and cane development initiatives.
The Sugar Bill mandates the Kenya Sugar Board to bring in crop inspectors to enforce compliance. The appointment is anticipated to combat unregulated production and protect farmers from exploitative practices. Focusing on sustainability, it looks to introduce a Sugar Development Levy capped at 4%, relating to domestic sugar’s value and the Cost Insurance Freight (CIF) import value.
The funds gathered will then be apportioned to the sugar industry, including 15% towards factory development and rehabilitation, 15% to sugarcane-producing regions, 10% for board administration and 5% to sugarcane farmers' organisations.
