Initiatives

In September 2020, the European Commission launched an initiative to improve sustainability in the cocoa sector. A multi-stakeholder dialogue brings together representatives of Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana – producing countries accounting together for 70% of global cocoa production – as well as representatives of the European Parliament, EU Member States, cocoa growers, private sector and civil society. The European Union is the world’s largest importer of cocoa, accounting for almost 60% of world imports.

The initiative aims to advance sustainability across the cocoa supply chain through collective action and partnerships. The multi-stakeholder dialogue is supported by technical assistance for cocoa producing countries with the objective of achieving sustainable cocoa production that provides a ‘living income’ for farmers and contributes to national public revenues, and that ends deforestation and forest degradation and labour rights abuses including child labour and gender inequality.

Efforts include the establishment of traceability and monitoring systems to track the impacts of cocoa production and enhance transparency in supply chains and across the cocoa sector.