Environmental and Social Assessment and Management System. BC is a committed partner of CocoaAction, the industry’s strategy to modernize the cocoa sector (see below). It outlines a set of actions to provide cocoa farmers with a combination of productivity enhancements and community development interventions (including child labor monitoring) as well as standards and indicators to assess the process and impact of actions. CocoaAction is organized around six thematic areas that focus on the greatest needs of the cocoa sector in Cote d’Ivoire: 1) Planting Material; 2) Fertilizer and Soil Fertility; 3) Community Development; 4) Government and Donor Alignment; 5) Innovation/Future Forms of Agricultural Extension Work; and 6) Shared Commitment to Measuring Progress and Impacts.
To measure progress toward two broad outcomes (Productivity and Community), six Key Performance Indicators have been defined under CocoaAction: 1) number of farmers applying a minimum number of good agricultural practices; 2) number of farmers adopting recommended planting materials to rehabilitate a minimum percentage of their old or non-productive cocoa trees; 3) number of farmers adopting recommended fertilizer and soil fertility practices on their farms; 4) number of children participating in child labor as defined by the ILO; 5) number of women in leadership positions in farmer organizations; and 6) percentage of school-age children regularly attending school.
Aligned with the above and to manage the environmental and social risks across its cocoa supply chain, BC has developed a framework of actions that are anchored in its Supplier Code, which sets forth the essential minimum requirements expected from suppliers and is a pre-condition for delivering any cocoa to BC: compliance with laws and regulations, compliance with international labor standards (including child labor and safe and healthy working conditions), and monitoring of on-going compliance and notification in case of a breach. Suppliers sign a written declaration of their commitment to BC’s Supplier Code. In addition, for the purposes of sourcing “sustainable cocoa,” the environmental and social risks of suppliers are managed according to the requirements as stipulated in BC’s own, third party verified Horizons Cocoa, in a certification scheme such as UTZ Certified, Rainforest Alliance, Fairtrade or Starbucks, or according to customer specific, independently verified requirements.
The specific elements of the framework are described in further detail in each of the sections below. The framework can generally be considered to be consistent with the requirements of this Performance Standard and by addressing the action items (see sections below and as outlined in the ESAP), BC’s framework, moving forward, will be fully in compliance with this Performance Standard.
Policy. BC has established a Sustainable Cocoa policy, which is embedded in its overall business strategy as one of four pillars and is
defined through its mission to improve the livelihoods of cocoa farmers and their communities through the promotion of sustainable, entrepreneurial farming, improved productivity, and community development. This is implemented through the sourcing of “sustainable cocoa,” which are produced according to a certification scheme (such as UTZ Certified, Rainforest Alliance and Starbucks) or BC’s Horizons Cocoa. BC is developing an internal strategic project, which features as one key component the establishment of publicly communicable targets for the procurement of sustainable and traceable cocoa. For the purposes of this IFC project, all sourced cocoa will be traceable and sustainable.
As part of the ESAP, BC shall continue to focus efforts on the development of its internal strategy project to increase the share of sustainable and traceable cocoa procured in its supply chain.
Identification of Risks and Impacts. BC participated in the development of CocoaAction (
http://www.worldcocoafoundation.org/cocoaaction), the industry’s comprehensive strategy launched in 2014 to sustain the cocoa and chocolate industry and improve the livelihoods of cocoa farmers in the world’s leading cocoa producing countries. With 10 of the world’s other leading cocoa and chocolate companies, BC contributed to assessing the key challenges and risks facing the cocoa sector, which are broadly defined as declining soil fertility, lack of access to and knowledge on how to apply fertilizers, lack of access to and knowledge on good agricultural practices, and environmental stewardship. The issue of the worst forms of child labor as defined by the ILO was also included as an on-going challenge.
Impacts related to air, water, and land as well as consumption of resources (energy, water, and other material inputs) associated with cocoa cultivation are limited. Limited and localized pollution to land and potentially to water can be expected from activities surrounding farm management and the operations of cooperatives but are readily addressed through the mitigation actions of BC’s management programs, which are also consistent with certification requirements. Cocoa cultivation requires no input of energy or water as the process is undertaken manually and neither the cocoa trees nor the cocoa harvesting require inputs of water, other than from rainfall.
Management Programs. BC operates the Horizons Cocoa program, initially established as the Quality Partner Program (QPP) in 2005 to enable farmers to grow cocoa in a sustainable and responsible way, increase yields and improve farmer family livelihoods through farmer training and improved access to education and basic healthcare services. The program works with cooperatives and focuses on eight areas to promote the sustainability of cocoa farming: farmer training (including traceability; quality; good agricultural practices; environmental, health and safety; child labor; and functional literacy), child labor mitigation e
fforts (support for prevention plans and teacher training), access to water (provision of water infrastructure), access to education (provision of educational infrastructure), farmer premiums, traceability (documentation system to trace cocoa beans from the farmer to the warehouse), transparency, and verification of the program (annually, by an independent, external agency). With the move from QPP to Horizons Cocoa in 2015, BC expanded both the size and scope of the program by aligning the protocols and activities with CocoaAction and Barry Callebaut’s current Sustainable Cocoa policy.
Starting in 2010, BC worked with an increasing number of partner cooperatives and through Biopartenaire directly with farmers to achieve certification (UTZ Certified, Rainforest Alliance, Fairtrade and Starbucks). As of 2013-2014, 62 partner cooperatives have achieved certification. Within the context of certification, participating cooperatives are required to establish and implement an Internal Management System, which includes procedures for: Screening of New Farmer Members, Cocoa Traceability System (for certified/sustainable cocoa), Farmer Training Program, Certification Requirements, Internal and External Audit Process, Proper Application of Pesticides, Community Engagement, Grievances, and Emergencies. The Training Program includes modules on Certification Criteria, Good Agricultural Practices, Good Environmental Practices, Occupational Health and Safety, Preventing Child Labor, and Basic Literacy.
Starting in 2012, all of BC’s activities to improve farmer productivity and implement community engagement programs (see below) have been grouped under the Cocoa Horizons initiative. This includes targeted use of sustainable cocoa premiums to finance farmer productivity programs, farmer organizations, and community improvement programs through various mechanisms. These activities have now been expanded and aligned with the objectives of CocoaAction in order to increase the positive impact on the ground, including the launch of the Cocoa Horizons Foundation as a dedicated, not-for-profit entity to scale impact and drive change from these activities, and the revision and expansion of scope of Cocoa Horizons.
Within the BP network of cocoa farmers, farmers are members of Farmers’ Groups, which are informally organized and collaborate within a village or encampment. The Group provides a platform for sharing knowledge, access to specialist farm services (fertilizer sales, phyto-sanitary application, plant material/nurseries, and pruning), and training (good agricultural practices and certification requirements for UTZ Certified and Rainforest Alliance).
BC has in place the basis of an integrated pest management (IPM) approach for cocoa farmers from which it sources. To further support this, BC’s Cocoa Centers of Excellence provide training to farmers on good agricultural practices, including the use of preventive measures such as early removal and elimin
ation of black pods, so that crop protection products are used only as a last resort. The application of crop protection products is undertaken only as necessary and based on the detection of pests. Within the context of some of BC’s cocoa suppliers (partner cooperatives and participating farmers in BP’s network), these comply with certification requirements and make use of only strictly regulated crop protection products that have been approved by the Ivorian Ministry of Agriculture.
BC has in place a training curriculum for coaches on productivity, and outside the scope of this project, BC shall also address the following areas: process for training eligible farmers on proper fertilizer dosage and application techniques to avoid potential pollution impacts to land and water and requiring participating cooperatives to develop a hazardous waste management procedure for ensuring the proper storage and disposal of empty chemicals containers (for example, crop protection products) and activities related to truck/vehicle maintenance (used oil, used oil filters, and car batteries).
Organizational Capacity and Competency. BC has established an organizational structure that defines roles, responsibilities and the necessary authority for implementing BC’s sustainability initiatives across its operations in Cote d’Ivoire, through the activities of SACO and BP. To this end, BC has designated within SACO a Program Manager and within BP a Country Manager with current oversight for sustainability (pending the hiring of a Sustainability Manager). These report respectively to BC’s General Manager for Cocoa Sustainability and Biolands Group’s General Manager, who ultimately report to BC’s Vice President for Global Cocoa Sustainability and Managing Director of Biolands.
In Cote d’Ivoire, SACO’s sustainability team comprises 35 employees, who work with partner cooperatives to organize training and support for their farmers and their communities. BP’s sustainability team comprises 22 employees, who work with Farmers’ Groups to designate a Village Coordinator and provide training.
During IFC’s site visit and based on discussions with key individuals at individual sites, staff were generally found to be competent and knowledgeable of sustainability and certification requirements.
Emergency Preparedness and Response. SACO and BP have in place the necessary emergency preparedness and response plans to respond to accidental and emergency situations such as in the event of a fire or a pandemic outbreak to protect employees and surrounding communities.
Monitoring and Review. SACO has established procedures for undertaking regular audits of partner cooperatives to monitor the environmental, health and safety aspects as stipulated in BC’s Horizons Cocoa and as required under the various certifications (UTZ Certified, Rainforest Alliance, and Starbucks). This includes a clearly defined plan for regular auditing of all sites by a qualified, external exper
t, which entails an inspection of the required documentation at the cooperative level (Internal Management System and supporting procedures and record-keeping to enable traceability of cocoa beans; and the Environmental and Social Management System and supporting documentation including training); a site visit of a representative sample of member plots including a review of evidence of protection of biodiversity, and practices with respect to working conditions and labor; and an assessment of awareness and understanding of requirements by the Group Administrator and cooperative members.
In 2014-2015, SACO undertook certification audits against Rainforest Alliance, UTZ Certified and Starbucks requirements. For those cooperatives, which failed the audit, cocoa beans that were procured during that season were not considered to be “sustainable cocoa.”
Within the context of SACO’s procedures for the annual audit cycle of partner cooperatives to verify on-going compliance with requirements, a key principle is child labor. During the audit of one cooperative in January 2013, three cases were identified where member farmers employed a 14-year old, a 15-year old (who happened to be the younger brother of the farmer), and a 17-year old. This resulted in immediate exclusion of two of the farmers from the cooperative, a survey of child labor practices among all members of the cooperative, and additional awareness training on condemning child labor and promoting education.
BP has in place a process for undertaking regular audits of participating farmers to verify on-going compliance with certification requirements. BP has not encountered cases or practices of child or forced labor in its network of farmers and if this were the case, these farmers would be excluded from the Farmers’ Group until the situation has been remedied.
SACO and BP’s sustainability team meets and reports on a regular basis with management (organized as the CSR Steering Committee, which includes BC’s CEO, COO, President Global Cocoa, and VP Cocoa Sustainability & Managing Director Biolands) to provide an update on sustainability issues. This includes reporting on key indicators, reflecting issues and progress made. Information is available both on operational as well as on KPIs (such as increased cocoa-income earning potential for targeted CocoaAction farmers, increased cocoa productivity for targeted CocoaAction farmers, and farmers adopting recommended good agricultural practices and rehabilitation techniques using recommended planting materials), following CocoaAction’s Reporting Framework.
Stakeholder Engagement. BC took a leading role in addressing strategic issues in the cocoa value chain by bringing together industry partners at CHOCOVISION, the first and only business-for-business conference in the cocoa value chain in 2012. This provided a neutral platform for an open discussion among key stakeholders from around the world (from the cocoa farmer to NGOs and the
consumer) on key industry issues, to develop ideas and sustainable solutions along the value chain. This led to the subsequent creation of the global initiative, CocoaAction, which is now the World Cocoa Foundation’s overall strategy for addressing sustainability challenges in the sector. The next CHOCOVISION conference is scheduled for June 2016 (
http://www.chocovision.ch).
BC is also a member of several industry trade associations, which work with stakeholders to make cocoa farming more sustainable, including addressing child labor issues. Among these, BC is a member of the Board of the World Cocoa Foundation (WCF) and contributes to the WCF Cocoa Livelihoods Program and the African Cocoa Initiative, by helping to fund development programs and research that benefit farmers in cocoa-growing regions. BC is also a member of the Board of the International Cocoa Initiative (ICI) and contributes to initiatives aimed at improving the lives of children and eliminating child labor in cocoa growing communities and the cocoa supply chain.
External Communications. In addition to participating in public forums to further the sustainability agenda for the cocoa sector (see section above), BC disseminates information on its sustainability efforts on its corporate website (
http://www.barry-callebaut.com/sustainability) as well as regularly publishes a Sustainability Report and encourages the public to provide feedback to BC’s Head of Sustainability Communications.