Nestlé & Barry Callebaut's Regenerative Chocolate Farming

Global demand for cocoa is rising and some producers are struggling to keep pace.

According to the WWF, it can take up to a year for a cocoa tree to produce the cocoa in just half a pound of chocolate.

This scale means that the cocoa industry is a big producer of carbon emissions.

Barry Callebaut and Nestlé have announced a partnership with the hopes of accelerating towards net zero cocoa production in Brazil.

Barbara Sapunar, Executive Director of Digital Transformation and ESG at Nestlé Brazil, says: “The collaboration with Barry Callebaut is another significant step towards realising our shared vision of a sustainable cocoa supply chain. 

“By empowering farmers and incentivising climate-positive practices, we can collectively contribute to a greener future” 

What does the partnership involve?

The initiative is set to cover 25 years and aims to bring carbon benefits for Nestlé and Barry Callebaut.

Both companies have a five year planting initiative, generating 6.215 hectares of agroforestry and 7.7 million trees planted using both cocoa and non cocoa plants.

The scheme aims to empower entrepreneurial farmers to enter cocoa production and support the existing industry, expanding the area in a climate friendly way.

The plan leverages Barry Callebaut's expertise in seedlings production and its extensive 6 million cocoa seedlings nursery project.

Tilmann Silber, Head of Net Zero at Barry Callebaut, says: “This program is a testament to our commitment to delivering the world's best chocolate solutions and services, while driving positive change in the cocoa industry. 

“With the announcement of our ambitious net zero targets in 2024, we are dedicated to working alongside Nestlé on this industry-leading project. 

"By collaborating with our customers in this way, we can accelerate our journey toward these targets, fostering a more sustainable future for cocoa farmers, consumers and the entire chocolate ecosystem."

Nestlé’s approach to being sustainable

Nestlé’s 2024 sustainability report found:

• The company has a 20.38% reduction in emissions compared to its baseline in 2018
• Around 93% of primary supply chains for meat, palm oil, pulp and paper, soy, sugar, cocoa and coffee were assessed as deforestation-free
• A 21.3% reduction in virgin plastics 
• Nearly 50% of management positions were held by women.

By 2030, the business aims to halve its greenhouse gas emissions.

Rob Cameron, Global Head of ESG Engagement at Nestlé, says: “Climate change is now a lived experience, not a future projection.

"For a company as dependent on agriculture as Nestlé, this matters greatly and is why we are so determined to play our part by reaching net zero no later than 2050.”

What is Barry Callebaut doing to be sustainable?

The Barry Callebaut Forever Chocolate 2023-23 annual report focusses on what the company is doing to be more sustainable:

• It had a significant increase in carbon removals by upscaling its agroforest approach, with a newly established 33,795 hectares of agroforestry
• It implemented an organisational wide approach to prepare for the EU Deforestation Regulation, setting a new standard for transparency in its supply chain
  
• Barry Callebeaut has mapped out 669,174 farm plots
• The company is partnering with three international child rights organisations to address the socio-economic factors driving child labour and child rights.

Peter Feld, Chief Executive Officer at Barry Callebaut, says: “The year 2023/24 presented a challenging landscape for advancing our impact in sustainability, with cocoa prices reaching record levels due to a global shortage influenced by weather and climate factors. 

“However, we remained resolute in our commitment to making sustainable and traceable chocolate the norm. 

“Best-in-class sustainability is a core promise of our strategic investment program, BC Next Level, and is essential to delivering on our four growth priorities.”