Guide to sustainable cocoa
The bitter taste of chocolate:
cocoa's hidden impact on our planet
The Green Office team, in collaboration with the "TERRA Forest is Life" research unit at Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, presents this brochure to help you understand the environmental and social impacts of cocoa production.
Discover the complete brochure
Promote Fairtrade and Rainforest Alliance labels which offer solutions for more sustainable cocoa production by guaranteeing better living conditions for producers:
- Support for producers: Guaranteed minimum price, community development premium, fairer working conditions and the fight against child labor.
- Preserving the environment: Banning deforestation, encouraging agroforestry, reducing the use of pesticides and protecting biodiversity.
- Resilience and adaptation: Promotion of sustainable agricultural practices, crop diversification and empowerment of producers in the face of climate change.
Encouraging agroforestry would limit deforestation, protect the environment, improve the lives of producers and guarantee the future of cocoa.
A win-win model!
The Chocolaterie
&COCOA is based on a "bean to bar" approach, guaranteeing complete control of the production chain. This approach ensures total traceability of cocoa, making it possible to control every stage, from bean cultivation to chocolate bar confection. The aim is to offer consumers an authentic product, rich in natural flavours, while supporting cocoa producers.
Partner players
The project was made possible thanks to funding from the Agence Française de Développement(AFD) and the Programme de Promotion de l'Exploitation Certifiée des Forêts(PPECF), scientific support from Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech(Université de Liège), and logistical support from the local FSC-certified logging company PALLISCO. It also benefits from the support of the International Tropical Timber Technical Association(ATIBT) and the Cameroon Ministry of Agriculture Program(PCP-ACEFA).
Product range
today, &COCOA offers a wide range of quality chocolate products. From chocolate spreads to hot chocolate lollipops, the company also offers chocolate bars with 44%, 58%, 70% and 85% cocoa content. To find out more, visit their website.
&COCOA and Nature + ASBL
Nature +, a Belgian ASBL committed to the sustainable management of tropical forest resources, collaborates with Ecocoa. The ASBL also has its cocoa beans processed there, from agroforestry cocoa farms located on the outskirts of the Odzala-Kokoua National Park in the north of the Republic of Congo. The aim of this project is to produce 100% deforestation-free chocolate, while helping to improve the socio-economic conditions of communities living on the outskirts of the national park. Thanks to this initiative, Nature + offers 70% cocoa dark chocolate bars.
Chocolaterie Galler, a Belgian company founded in 1976, brings together 170 chocolate enthusiasts. It is committed to producing quality chocolates while adopting a responsible and sustainable approach. Since April 2021, the company has adopted a collaborative model, eliminating traditional hierarchical levels in favor of collective decision-making.
Partner Players
Galler's commitments
Crop diversification is also taking place, notably with rice and manioc to strengthen the economic resilience of producers. Galler's chocolate is Fairtrade certified, guaranteeing cocoa producers fair and equitable living conditions.
A program to monitor carbon stocks
Following on from this first initiative, Galler is pursuing its commitment to organic, fair-trade and carbon-neutral cocoa. In 2024, a permanent carbon sequestration monitoring system was set up on the plantations. Such an approach, still rare in cocoa farming, represents an innovative step forward. It has provided an accurate representation of the carbon stocks contained in the region's fields.
Once again this year, two students visited Yeyasso to further their agroforestry research. One will complete the assessment of carbon stocks in trees and soil, while the other will analyze biodiversity by identifying the animal species and insects present in the crops. In this way, the project regularly enables several ULiège students to gain valuable field experience while contributing to advances in the cocoa industry.
Thanks to these collaborations and its commitment to quality and ethics, Chocolaterie Galler aims to offer a diversified range of products while making a positive contribution to society and the environment. Proud of its Liège roots, the chocolate factory has maintained its production facility in Vaux-sous-Chèvremont for over 45 years, contributing to the local economic dynamism.
The parasites presented in the brochure are myridis and moniliosis.
- Patrick Jagoret, Olivier Deheuvels, Philippe Bastide. Sustainable cocoa production: drawing inspiration from agroforestry. Perspective, 2014, N° 27, 4 p. 0.18167/agritrop/00003. hal-01538117
- Carimentrand A. (2020) Etat des lieux sur la déforestation importée et les schémas de certification de l'objectif zéro-déforestation dans la filière cacao. Study report. Comité Scientifique et Technique Forêt/ CIRAD, February 2021, 64p Paris France.
- World Bank. 2022 Global Guide to Implementing Sustainable Cocoa Agroforestry © World Bank
- Tropenbos International, Tropenbos Ghana and Nitidae. 2023. Cocoa agroforestry in West Africa. Private sector experiences and opportunities for collaborative action Tropenbos International, Ede, Netherlands; Tropenbos Ghana, Kumasi, Ghana and Nitidae, Lyon, France. (Original title in English: Cocoa agroforestry in West Africa. Experiences from the private sector and opportunities for collaborative action)
Want to go one step further?
UNI for Change's step-by-step challenges enable you to change your everyday life and move towards a more sustainable society.
- Consume exotic products sustainably
- Eat more sustainable chocolate
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