Tony’s Chocolonley: Sustainable Cocoa Farming Supply Chains

Tony’s Chocolonely is celebrating a major achievement in the 2026 Chocolate Scorecard results, becoming one of only two companies to receive an overall green score, alongside HALBA, which secured the top position. 

Published annually, the Chocolate Scorecard evaluates global chocolate companies on key sustainability issues within the cocoa industry, including living income, child labour, deforestation, gender equality, agroforestry and pesticide use. 

Coordinated by Be Slavery Free in collaboration with universities, consultants and NGOs, the scorecard recognises industry leaders while encouraging greater accountability and action across the sector. 

This year’s assessment placed greater emphasis on measurable impact and tangible progress, rewarding companies for demonstrated results rather than aspirations alone.

The 2026 Chocolate Scorecard

In addition to its overall green score, Tony’s Chocolonely received the Gender Award in recognition of its progress toward gender equality in cocoa farming communities. 

Acknowledging the structural barriers women face, such as lower pay and fewer opportunities, the company emphasised its belief that gender equality is essential to creating a more sustainable cocoa industry. 

By developing and implementing a dedicated Gender Roadmap, Tony’s continues to invest in initiatives that improve access to income, training, resources and decision-making opportunities for women, with an updated gender strategy expected later this year.

Tony’s Chocolonely also ranked number one for living income, highlighting its long-standing commitment to helping cocoa farmers earn and maintain at least a living income. 

Through Tony’s Open Chain model, the company has consistently paid a Living Income Reference Price while supporting farmers through long-term partnerships, productivity investments and resilience-building programs. 

The company also received top marks once again for its efforts to address child labour and deforestation. 

Douglas Lamont, CEO of Tony’s Chocolonely, writes on LinkedIn that he is “very proud of the results we have delivered in a turbulent year for cocoa.”

“Our ambition to end exploitation in cocoa rests on us showing that you can deliver a positive impact for cocoa farming families, while also delivering strong commercial results,” he says.

At the same time, Tony’s acknowledged there is still room for improvement in areas such as agroforestry and pesticide use, particularly as the scorecard introduced stricter, impact-focused criteria.

Sustainability leaders won’t want to miss Sustainability LIVE: The Leadership Summit at London Climate Action Week, taking place at Code Node on 25 June 2026.

Register now for this exclusive invite-only event. 

In response, the company continues to strengthen its Integrated Pest Management practices and expand its Farm Transformation program, which supports farmers through tailored coaching, increased tree diversity and funded implementation efforts. 

Tony’s concluded by congratulating HALBA on its first-place ranking by saying, "BIGGEST congrats again to HALBA for taking 1st place this year! We’re beyond excited to see another choco brand raising the bar. ’Cause it’s only together that we’ll be able to change the industry and end exploitation in cocoa."

Sustainable mission allies

Mission Allies are companies that join Tony’s Open Chain to help tackle problems in the cocoa industry by committing to ethical sourcing through Tony’s 5 Sourcing Principles. 

These partners, ranging from brands and manufacturers to major retailers, play a key role in increasing the volume of cocoa sourced responsibly and in raising awareness of exploitation in supply chains. 

The following companies committed to sustainable sourcing, in year order:

2005: Tony’s Chocolonely

2018: Albert Heijin

2020: Aldi, vly

2021: Jokolade

2022: The Flower Farm, Plus, Ben & Jerry’s, Koro Source, Pleese

2023: Huel, Cococo, Hema, Jumbo, Waitrose, Pip & Hut,

2024: Feastables, Holie foods, Johnny Cashew, Colruyt

2025: Koeckebackers.

The Mission Allies work together within Tony’s Open Chain, each using their own products and supply chains to help drive systemic change toward fairer cocoa sourcing.

“Almost half of the beans Tony’s Open Chain sourced went to other Mission Allies (the other half went to Tony’s) and last year we proudly welcomed two new partners to the movement, bringing us to 22 in total,” says Douglas in the company’s 2024/2025 annual report.

The Chocolonely Foundation

The Chocolonely Foundation is an independent organisation that supports projects and initiatives aimed at building prosperous cocoa-growing communities in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, while also encouraging systemic change and challenging the status quo in the cocoa sector.

Although it shares a name with Tony’s Chocolonely, it operates separately with its own board and decision-making power.

While Tony’s works to end exploitation in cocoa by changing the industry from within, through producing and selling chocolate made with responsibly sourced cocoa using its 5 Sourcing Principles, the Foundation focuses on complementary support, such as funding social programmes, including school fees and community stability initiatives, to help farmers manage income gaps during the cocoa season.

To support its work, Tony’s Chocolonely donates 1% of its net revenue annually to the Foundation, which then invests in projects that strengthen inclusive cocoa communities, reduce poverty and improve living conditions in cocoa-growing regions, including education support and assistance for victims of human trafficking and exploitation.